Perceptions of Green and Smart Urban Transport Issues in Romanian Cities: A Preliminary Exploratory Analysis
Perceptions of Green and Smart Urban Transport Issues in Romanian Cities: A Preliminary Exploratory Analysis

Summary/Abstract: Urban transport is one of the most unsustainable activities in Romanian cities. Green and smart mobility solutions could help them in becoming more sustainable. However, it is generally acknowledged that successfully implementing green, smart and sustainable solutions depends highly on local stakeholders’ engagement and public acceptance. Against this background, the current study explores stakeholders’ perception and media coverage of some urban transport issues in Romanian cities. Our approach is only exploratory as it is not aimed at testing hypothesis, but rather at 1) exploring stakeholders’ opinionsconcerning the state of urban mobility in Bucharest, Iași and Cluj-Napoca, and at 2) identifying the main urban transport issues reflected in local newspapers from Iași and Cluj-Napoca. Results concerning stakeholders’ opinions suggest, inter alia, an overwhelming influence of local authorities and transport engineers in the decision-making process, a fact that is contrary to sustainable and good governance practices. Urban transport issues reflected in local newspapers pinpoint the high importance of public transport in Romanian post-socialist cities, a rather incipient emergence of green and smart practices, and some significant differences in the propensity of inquired cities to modernise their urban transport services.

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