A methodological approach in order to support decision-makers when defining Mobility and Transportation Politics



provided by Research Papers in Economics

A methodological approach in order to support decision-makers when
defining Mobility and Transportation Politics

Gaspar, M.1; Viegas, J.2; Silva, E.3

1 TIS.PT - Transportes, Inovaçâo e Sistemas, S.A. ; Email: [email protected]

2 CESUR, Instituto Superior Técnico; TIS.PT - Transportes, Inovaçâo e Sistemas, S.A.; Email: [email protected]

3 CESUR, Instituto Superior Técnico; Email: [email protected]

Abstract

Nowadays Portugal is under a large process of creation/revision of studies and plans related with land use
and territorial planning, mainly due to the end of the lifetime period of the actual Municipal Master Plan, but
also because of the creation of the new Metropolitan Authorities of Transportation, which will require
Mobility Plans.

Even though the Portuguese law doesn’t impose these Mobility Plans at the present moment, there is a
general feeling about the importance of the mobility system for the society and economics in general. This
is the case in highly density areas, where the need and complexity of the system requires these specific
studies in order to obtain an efficient management; or in the case of low-density areas where the risk of
loosing competitiveness is too high to ignore the importance of the transportation and mobility system, and
the advantage of gaining local and regional competitiveness might increase the importance of the
municipality in regional context.

This paper intends to provide an innovative approach regarding the provision, at an early stage, of
technical support to decision-makers in order to define Mobility and Transportation Policies. The
opportunity provided by using adapted SWOT analysis (among others) to identify weakening or potential
factors, and how to take advantage of the results, always using a cause and effect approach and a
coherent policy in order to obtain high quality and effective studies and politics.

The methodology relies on a two-stage process. In the first stage a summary diagnose is provided, using
inputs which are supposed to well characterise the territory’s mobility patterns. Afterwards, in a second
phase, these are inter-related and evaluated in order to build-up a table of options, where policies are
proposed with a careful attention to its qualitative cross impact with the measures and objectives intended
to be achieved.

The proposed methodology was applied in the Alcobaça ´s Municipality case study, which provided
different lines of action in diverse subjects, such as, public and private transportation networks, parking
policies and organisation, and territory competitiveness. This study was particularly relevant, since this
Municipality is under great pressure of its neighbour municipalities, has a low level of regional importance
and a low intra-municipal cohesion. Finally, the general opinion of the decision-makers about this technical
approach is presented.

Keywords: Mobility; Transportation; Land Planning and Policies; Decision-making Support

Conference Paper: Regional Science Association (RSA) and Associaçao Portuguesa de Desenvolvimento
Regional (APDR); “Regions and Fiscal Federalism “; 44th European Congress of the European Regional
Science Association, Porto, Portugal 25-29 August 2004

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