Policy learning and sustainable urban transitions: Mobilising Berlin’s cycling renaissance

Alistair Sheldrick, James Evans and Gabriele Schliwa
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Alistair Sheldrick: University of Manchester, UK
James Evans: University of Manchester, UK
Gabriele Schliwa: University of Manchester, UK

Urban Studies, 2017, vol. 54, issue 12, 2739-2762

Abstract: Cities are increasingly seeking to learn from experiences elsewhere when planning programmes of sustainable transition management, and the contingencies of policy-learning arrangements in this field are beginning to receive greater attention. This paper applies insights from the field of policy mobilities to the burgeoning field of transition management to critically explore a proposed ‘learning relationship’ between Berlin (Germany) and Manchester (UK) around cycling policy. Drawing on qualitative data, the paper casts doubt over the existing consensus attributing recent growth in bicycle use in Berlin to concerted governmental interventions. A multi-actor analysis suggests that contextual factors caused the growth in cycling and that policy has been largely reactive. The emergence and circulation of the Berlin cycling renaissance as a policy model is then traced through policy documents and interviews with actors in Manchester, UK, to understand why and how it has become a model for action elsewhere. It is concluded that Berlin’s cycling renaissance has been simplified and mobilised to demonstrate the requisite ambition and proficiency to secure competitive funds for sustainable urban transport. The paper develops an original study of the role policy knowledge and learning play in sustainable urban transition management, and argues that attending to the dynamics of policy learning can enhance our understanding of its successes and failures.

Keywords: cycling; policy mobility; sustainable urban transitions; transition management; 骑行ã€; 政策动员ã€; å ¯æŒ ç»­åŸŽå¸‚è½¬åž‹ã€; è½¬åž‹ç®¡ç † (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:54:y:2017:i:12:p:2739-2762

DOI: 10.1177/0042098016653889

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