Understanding perceptions of fairness among transport planners
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Keywords: transport, transport planning, transport justice, fairness, transport geography, qualitative research
Abstract Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Authors:
Vanessa Ternes, University of Leeds
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Abstract
Transport is the highest emitting sector in the UK and emissions have remained largely constant in past decades. For the UK to minimise transport’s contributions to climate change and reach net zero by 2050, a large and quick transition is required. The necessary speed risks that considerations on fairness are overlooked in the process. But the transformation of transport also offers an opportunity to select a decarbonisation pathway that is fair.
There are countless and contradicting views of what can be seen as fair, both in moral philosophy and in transport more specifically. While fairness as a term is entering debates on transport decarbonisation, usually no definition of fairness is shared. This means that it is not clear whether there is agreement on what is considered fair and actors are therefore working towards common goals – or whether the term “fairness” is an empty signifier. Better understanding of how transport planners’ perceptions of fairness influence their work is needed.
This project includes semi-structured interviews with twelve transport planners working for bodies of governance at multiple levels of government in the UK. Alongside this, the transport plans of these bodies of governance were analysed. Using a just transition approach, the findings show to what extent fairness issues were observed (recognition justice); how and with which knowledge transport strategies were created (procedural justice) and which outcomes are seen to be fair (distribution justice). These insights will help understand the opportunities and risks posed by the decarbonisation imperative given the revealed fairness interpretations.
Understanding perceptions of fairness among transport planners
Category
Virtual Paper Abstract