Browsing by Author "Moody, Matthew"

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    The case for transition to a sustainable transport system in Stellenbosch
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012-03) Moody, Matthew; Swilling, Mark; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Human existence in its current form is unsustainable. Urban transport systems are one of the chief contributors to this problem due to the dominant role of the car. Car dominated transport systems have a number of serious impacts on social, economic and ecological systems which collectively suggest they are not sustainable. The complex, global “system of automobility”, a powerful socio-technical regime, ensures that car dominated transport systems endure, despite the serious problems they generate. In the face of the power and resilience of this system, there are examples around the world of urban areas which have implemented transport initiatives which depart from the dominant paradigm of automobility. They have successfully provided viable alternatives to the car, facilitated urban forms which are supportive of green modes and “reconquered” scarce urban space from the automobile. However, there are a multitude of barriers to any transition to sustainable urban transport systems. These can only be overcome through the related processes of contestation and innovation. The case of Stellenbosch is a local expression of the global “system of automobility”. Through a combination of infrastructure, urban form, institutions, beliefs and ways of life, this system is perpetuated at a local level. In a highly inequitable developing country context, this is particularly problematic. A town primarily designed to service car mobility is best suited to the reproduction of the middle class. The poor, and others without access to a car, are at a disadvantage and movement by green modes is, everywhere, discouraged. And yet, there are a number of innovative initiatives occurring within the town which depart from the dominant paradigm, contesting its continued dominance. The path towards transition is at all times uncertain. However, it is possible to enhance the potential for transition by strengthening existing niches, contesting existing regimes and preparing for the imminent increase in landscape pressure generated by climate change and resource scarcity.