Innovating transport policies : A learning based approach

The dominant planning approach of Departments of Transport (DoT) is to predict demand, design facilities, and provide these to the public. But reality often shows a gap between necessary and available means. This paper looks at the characteristics of the planning system as one of the causes for this gap. The paper uses concepts from the organizational learning approach (OLA). The OLA can identify the capacities for innovation and provides methods to enhance the learning capacity of an organisation. Failing transport policies can be understood as attempts to renew the content of the policies, without renewing the organisation. To be sustainable and effective, innovations demand a restructuring of the procedures and values within the DoT's. The article describes some interactive planning methods, which generate innovations within the DoT, and around accessibility and mobility. The article is based on action research executed within and around the Dutch DoT.