A TRAMWAY LINE EXTENSION IN SWEDEN: INTEGRATED TOWN AND TRAFFIC PLANNING IN LOCAL PRACTICE

Changing the modal split in urban transport systems towards an increasing share for public transport is generally seen as a necessary prerequisite for sustainability. However, it is not an easy task to improve the competitiveness of public transport with only traditional system internal measures, e.g. fares, vehicle design, comfort, safety. There is a strong assumption that efficient public transport systems demand a supportive and integrated urban planning. Measures such as car restrictions, traffic priorities, high densities in residential areas, "anti-sprawl" policies etc, are important if the target is to create a more competitive alternative to the private car in urban settings. In Sweden there is a growing awareness at the national political level that integrated planning is a measure that must be used to reach the targets associated with the very ambitious environmental policy. But there is a lack of ideas and knowledge about the existing obstacles to integrated planning at the local level in the present system. This report will discuss the results from a research and development project with the focus on integrated planning. In the Swedish middle-sized city of Norrköping, an extension of the already existing tramway network was explored in the project. The extension was conceptualised as a transport solution and a city renewal project, bringing new life and economic vitality to older city districts. The results clearly indicate that integrated planning, i.e. combining traffic and town planning, is a tool with a very strong capability to change the present situation in cities into something substantially different. But this can not be done without a far-reaching reorganisation and an institutional renewal of local planning and policy procedures, which includes the relations between local, regional and national levels in the political and planning system.