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Sustainable suburban mobilities – planning practices and paradoxes
Full text linkVibeke Nenseth & Per Gunnar Røe (2024) Sustainable suburban mobilities – planning practices and paradoxes, European Planning Studies, 32:5, 1059-1077, DOI:10.1080/09654313.2023.2249950Cities are in transition towards more sustainable mobilities, and many city cores are beyond peak car. However, the suburbs are still largely car based. Although planning principles for compact centres and transit-oriented development have been prevalent since the early nineties, there has been little progress towards more sustainable suburban mobility. This is also the case for the Greater Oslo region. To understand this implementation gap, we have investigated the adoption of the overarching principles of land use and transport planning, as represented in the regional plan for Greater Oslo. In two suburban municipalities, we have focused on key actors in local planning, who are crucial for the implementation of planning principles and strategies to achieve change. We find that the sustainability principles focusing on densification around public transport nodes and in suburban centres are supported. However, essential aspects of social sustainability in the growing suburban towns, have largely been left out. Drawing on the reflexive turn in policies and planning, we argue that this implementation deficit is an unintentional consequence of a too narrow disciplinary spatial planning approach. The implementation of sustainable planning principles requires a broader knowledge base, including the social sciences, in order to take into account peoples’ preferences and practices.Sustainable suburban mobilities – planning practices and paradoxesacceptedVersio
Universal design for people with psychosocial disabilities – The effect of COVID-19
No full textAnja Fleten Nielsen, Universal design for people with psychosocial disabilities – The effect of COVID-19, Research in Transportation Economics, Volume 98, 2023, 101280, ISSN 0739-8859, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2023.101280.We have examined how COVID-19 impacted travel behaviour for people with psychosocial disabilities, identified key barriers when using public transport, and examined how a broad understanding of universal design can be used to improve travel for people with psychosocial disabilities. During and after the pandemic, most informants travelled less and/or used their car more than before. Some stopped using public transport due to fear of contamination, while others found it easier to travel during the pandemic due to less crowding. Use of facial masks were perceived by some as an additional problem increasing anxiety, while others found it more problematic with fellow passengers not wearing masks. In general, findings support prior studies in terms of barriers related to crowding, lack of seamlessness, financial issues, problems with staff, lack of access in rural areas, and low knowledge of support systems. Additionally, lack of toilet facilities, negative experiences with other passengers, sensory overload, travel-induced fatigue, and problems related to planning are considered problematic. Station areas may pose a barrier for people with former drug addictions. Hence, universal design should include the social and organisation environments, in addition to physical design, in terms of making the transport system accessible to everyone.publishedVersio
Carbon dioxide mitigation from public procurement with environmental conditions: The case of short-sea shipping in Norway
No full textAsbjørn Torvanger, Jostein Tvedt, Inger Beate Hovi, Carbon dioxide mitigation from public procurement with environmental conditions: The case of short-sea shipping in Norway, Maritime Transport Research, Volume 4, 2023, 100085, ISSN 2666-822X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.martra.2023.100085.We investigate the potential for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission cuts for the Norwegian short-sea (domestic) maritime segments of express boats, offshore support vessels, and aquaculture support vessels in comparison to ferries in Norway. Public procurement conditional on climate-friendly operation is catalyzing a transition to battery-electric operation, where most ferries will be battery-electric or fueled by hydrogen by 2030. The comparison to ferries is performed with the help of a methodology inspired by the multi-attribute utility method, which contains 11 features related to technology, operation, and acceptance. This score is used to adjust the 70% CO2 emission reduction achieved by ferries. Based on this methodology, the CO2 emission reduction potential for express boats, offshore support vessels, and aquaculture support vessels is estimated to be 46%. Consequently, these short-sea shipping segments could reduce CO2 emissions by 0.8 million tonnes from 2017 to 2030, which is equivalent to 1.5% of Norwegian emissions in 2017. Norway's experience indicates that there is a sizable potential for reducing CO2 emissions for public procurement conditional on climate-friendly solutions for short-sea shipping in other shipping nations.publishedVersio
European emergency managers on social media: institutional arrangements and guidelines
No full textTorpan, S., Hansson, S., Orru, K., Rhinard, M., Savadori, L., Jukarainen, P., Nævestad, T.-O., Meyer, S.F., Schieffelers, A. and Lovasz, G. (2024), "European emergency managers on social media: institutional arrangements and guidelines", International Journal of Emergency Services, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 5-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-08-2022-0041Purpose This paper offers an empirical overview of European emergency managers' institutional arrangements and guidelines for using social media in risk and crisis communication. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected and analysed material including publicly accessible relevant legal acts, policy documents, official guidelines, and press reports in eight European countries – Germany, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Hungary, Finland, Norway, and Estonia. Additionally, the authors carried out 95 interviews with emergency managers in the eight countries between September 2019 and February 2020. Findings The authors found that emergency management institutions' social media usage is rarely centrally controlled and social media crisis communication was regulated with the same guidelines as crisis communication on traditional media. Considering this study's findings against the backdrop of existing research and practice, the authors find support for a “mixed arrangement” model by which centralised policies work in tandem with decentralised practices on an ad hoc basis. Practical implications Comparative insights about institutional arrangements and procedural guidelines on social media crisis communication in the studied countries could inform the future policies concerning social media use in other emergency management systems. Originality/value This study includes novel, cross-national comparative data on the institutional arrangements and guidelines for using social media in emergency management in the context of Europe.European emergency managers on social media: institutional arrangements and guidelinesacceptedVersio
Traffic Safe Municipality: a Norwegian approval scheme to facilitate development of a municipal traffic safety culture
No full textThis study examines the consequences of being approved as a Traffic Safe Municipality for municipal traffic safety culture, based on surveys (n = 2255) and interviews (n = 17) in 24 municipalities. Traffic Safe Municipality is an approval scheme for Norwegian municipalities, which defines criteria for systematic traffic safety work. Development of a positive municipal traffic safety culture is an explicit aim of the approval scheme. The respondents in the survey state positive consequences for the traffic safety culture in their own workplace after being approved as a Traffic Safe Municipality. The self-reported focus on traffic safety has increased among immediate managers and among colleagues, and it has become easier to address issues related to traffic safety in one's own workplace. In multivariate statistical analyses, we see that these changes are also linked to the respondents stating that they think more about traffic safety in their everyday work and they state that they behave safer in traffic during working hours. The study has also mapped factors that promote or impede implementation of Traffic Safe Municipality. Lack of resources in the municipality, time pressure, high workload and replacement of personnel may hamper implementation, while top managers' involvement throughout the implementation period is one of the most important prerequisites for successful implementation. We conclude that Traffic Safe Municipality can be interpreted as a measure to establish a traffic safety culture through the implementation of a safety management system in the municipality. Such systems are required as a measure to create a positive safety culture in a number of different high-risk sectors (aviation, nuclear power, oil, and gas). Our study is unique, since we apply this perspective in the municipal sector.Traffic Safe Municipality: a Norwegian approval scheme to facilitate development of a municipal traffic safety culturepublishedVersio
Mechanisms behind COVID-19 scepticism among socially marginalised individuals in Europe
Full text linkKristi Nero, Kati Orru, Tor-Olav Nævestad, Alexandra Olson, Merja Airola, Lucia Savadori, Austeja Kazemekaityte, Gabriella Lovasz & Jelena Kajganovic (2023) Mechanisms behind COVID-19 scepticism among socially marginalised individuals in Europe, Journal of Risk Research, 26:6, 675-696, DOI: 10.1080/13669877.2023.2208119Homeless and materially disadvantaged people are considered particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. So far, there is no systematic knowledge about how the homeless and materially disadvantaged people perceive the risks of COVID-19 and what factors influence the development of sceptical views and underestimation of dangers posed by the virus. The aim of our study is therefore to: (1) Explore COVID-19 risk perception of socially marginalised individuals, focusing on their assessment of the probability of getting infected by the virus and the perceived harmful consequences of the disease; and (2) examine the factors influencing COVID-19 risk beliefs of these individuals. We use cross-sectional survey data with 273 participants from eight countries and data from 32 interviews and five workshops with managers and staff of social care organisations in ten European countries. Our results indicate that among survey participants, 49% can be labelled COVID-19 sceptics with regard to probability of getting infected, and 38% with regard to harmful consequences of the disease. We find that COVID-19 scepticism is related to low levels of all types of social capital, low trust in information from authorities and being a minority. However, the most important predictor is the respondents’ general lack of concern about health risks. Additionally, the qualitative data indicates the multifaceted nature of COVID-19 scepticism, as it may relate to the origins of COVID-19, the probability of infection, its consequences and protective measures, among others. Improved understanding about factors influencing COVID-19 scepticism in these groups contributes to a better understanding of the information disorder during crises, and the ways in which this could be managed through policies against marginalisation, including in disaster risk reduction.submittedVersio
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on socially marginalised women: Material and mental health outcomes
No full textAlexandra Olson, Tor-Olav Naevestad, Kati Orru, Kristi Nero, Abriel Schieffelers, Sunniva Frislid Meyer, The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on socially marginalised women: Material and mental health outcomes, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Volume 93, 2023, 103739, ISSN 2212-4209, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103739 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420923002194)There is little knowledge about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people who are socially marginalised, including individuals who face barriers when attempting to access services such as social safety nets, the labour market, or housing. There is even less understanding about women living under these circumstances. The aims of this study are therefore to examine the material and mental impacts of COVID-19 among socially marginalised women (compared with socially marginalised men) as well as influencing factors. The study is based on survey data (N = 304) involving people who are clients of social care organisations in thirteen European countries. The sample includes clients: a) living in their homes, b) in facilities, and c) on the street and in temporary accommodations. Results indicate that although material impacts were not significantly different for female and male respondents, socially marginalised women have experienced more severe mental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic than socially marginalised men. Female respondents have been significantly more worried about COVID-19 infection than men, and they report significantly more PTSD-symptoms related to the pandemic. Quantitative results indicate that these differences are related to the fact that the female respondents worry more about health risks (e.g. falling ill). Female respondents also seem to be harder hit mentally by the material impacts of COVID-19. Among the free text survey answers regarding the biggest problem for the respondents after the outbreak of the pandemic, the most prevalent reply (among both men and women) was related to material impacts of the pandemic (39% of the respondents), particularly the loss of work (65%). While women reported deterioration of social relations more often, men mentioned lacking access to services more frequently.publishedVersio
A transition to battery electric vehicles without V2G: an outcome explained by a strong electricity regime and a weak automobility regime?
No full textAarhaug, J. A transition to battery electric vehicles without V2G: an outcome explained by a strong electricity regime and a weak automobility regime?. Energ Sustain Soc 13, 29 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-023-00409-0Background
A sustainability transition in mobility is dependent on a transition away from a fossil fuel-based automobility regime. Smart charging, in the form of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) has been presented as one—or even the—key technology in facilitating a sustainability transition in the automobility regime. With the large global increase in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) combined with a rapid increase in the production of wind and solar energy, V2G may indeed become a key technology to enable the balancing of electricity grids worldwide. Thus far, however, the large-scale introduction of BEVs in Norway has been implemented without the use of commercial V2G systems; indeed, it has only recently been implemented in commercial smart charging stations, and then only in the less-radical form of grid-to-vehicle (G2V) systems. The Norwegian experience is contrary to expectations in the sustainability transitions literature and, therefore, merits further investigation. This article details how and why this outcome unfolded and considers the relative strength of the automobility and electricity regimes as a possible explanation. Specifically, it asks: can the absence of commercial V2G charging in Norway be explained by the structure of the existing regimes? And, if so, is this generalisable?
Results
To answer the research question, the study employed an exploratory two-stage case study approach, drawing on 36 expert interviews. The first stage included 27 interviews with key actors, including stakeholder organisations. These were followed by nine in-depth interviews with key actors in smart charging. The interviews were analysed using a multi-level perspective (MLP) framework. The study finds that the relative strength of the involved regimes influences how the challenge is framed and which solutions are presented. Cases in point: regime actors use smart charging (G2V) as an add-on to their existing services, while start-ups without the same ties to the established regime present and promote solutions that conflict with the existing regime.
Conclusions
This article finds that the solutions presented by regime actors have thus far been more commercially successful, compared with solutions presented by start-ups. This finding is in line with previous research that suggests that actors with strong ties to the existing regime present less-radical solutions with lower transformational potential, while niche actors without these ties present more-radical solutions. Still, the absence of V2G and the relative low market penetration of other advanced smart charging solutions have not prevented the introduction of BEVs from reaching the acceleration phase. This means that V2G is not necessary for large-scale BEV introduction, in all cases. By extension, this suggests that V2G mainly addresses issues with the electrical grid, highlighted by BEVs. BEVs may be successfully introduced at scale, where the pre-existing grid is well-developed, with sufficient balancing capacity. If this precondition is not met, the transition to BEVs may be contingent on smart charging or costly grid extensions. This can be the case at specific locations in Norway, but it may be more prevalent in other locations.publishedVersio
Economic driving in trucking companies a study of implementation and effects of the eco ladder for energy management
No full textTor-Olav Nævestad, Vibeke Milch, Jenny Blom, Economic driving in trucking companies a study of implementation and effects of the eco ladder for energy management, Research in Transportation Business & Management, Volume 50, 2023, 101020, ISSN 2210-5395, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2023.101020.The study examines the relationship between economical driving, energy management and (reductions in) fuel consumption in trucking companies, which have worked with eco driving and energy management through a one-year period. The companies are compared with a Reference sample of drivers from assumed average trucking companies. The study is based on survey data (N = 366) from 14 companies and qualitative interviews (N = 26) with managers and employees. To describe the companies' work on economical driving, we use the Eco Ladder for Energy Management, which specifies three levels for working with economic driving and energy management, with an increased scope of measures at each level. The study examines whether the companies at level 3, which have introduced the most measures aimed at economic driving and energy management, have had the largest reductions in fuel consumption. Results indicate that this is the case: The companies at level 3 have achieved approximately a 10% reduction in fuel in the study period, while the companies at level 2 have achieved lower reductions. The companies also report positive results for working environment. We argue that there are two mechanisms that explain why companies at level 3 have had the greatest effect. The first is that these companies are best at “cultivating” drivers with good scores in the fleet management system (and low fuel consumption), through systematic facilitation of an economic driving style. The second explanation is that the companies at level 3 are also best at working with other factors that affect fuel consumption, such as vehicle optimization and optimization of transport.Economic driving in trucking companies a study of implementation and effects of the eco ladder for energy managementpublishedVersio
SKUL - Sosial bæredyktighet i og ved kulturmiljøer
No full textHvis du bearbejder dette værk, bedes du inkludere følgende ansvarsfraskrivelse sammen med tilskrivelsen af værket: Dette er en bearbejdning af et originalt værk publiceret af Nordisk Ministerråd. Ansvaret for de synspunkter og holdninger, der kommer til udtryk i bearbejdelsen, påhviler udelukkende forfatteren/forfatterne til bearbejdningen. Synspunkter og holdninger i denne bearbejdning er ikke godkendt af Nordisk Ministerråd.publishedVersio