Dissertation Research: Design for a Pluralistic City: Multimodal Transportation in Oakland, California

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY

Investigators

Abstract

This dissertation research project proposes to study the design of urban multimodal transportation in the United States. It will examine interdependent technical, organizational, and cultural changes directed at diversifying existing transportation infrastructures. It includes formal design processes and people's everyday experiences to understand how "the street" and "safety" are negotiated in designing for pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, bus, and rail modes. The organizing concept of multimodal design focuses the research on the negotiation of diversity in designing for multiple and potentially conflicting needs. This project will examine how diverse perspectives on these five modes grapple with the technical, organizational, and cultural inertia of existing infrastructure to design a shared infrastructure that meets the needs of pluralistic populations. In the United States, multimodal transportation is a timely topic because of the possibilities for change afforded by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA, 1991) and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21, 1998). Following on the completion of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System, this legislation marks a shift in United States trans-portation policy away from road construction as the primary solution to transportation problems. In response to political concerns over previous highway policy, this legislation also increases the role of metropolitan- and state-level decision making. This research will examine how multimodal design addresses automobile dependence and its attendant problems of air pollution, urban sprawl, and oil dependency by providing viable transportation alternatives in people's everyday lives. It is socially significant for assessing the role of nongovernmental organizations in transportation change, opportunities for broader participation in design, and best practices in design processes, programs, and policies that foster political stability and environmental sustainability. The project uses the city of Oakland, California as a research site including pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, bus, and rail modes. Each mode will be examined through the transportation planners, elected officials, advocates, and residents who shape and are shaped by these modes. One year of field research will use the following data collection methods: 1) thirty-five focused interviews with transportation planners, elected officials, and advocates on the design of multimodal transportation; 2) fifteen informant photography and photo-elicitation interviews with residents on their everyday experiences of urban travel; and 3) participant/observation in public hearings, advocacy meetings, and educational outreach on transportation projects. These three data sets will be analyzed to identify social worlds that negotiate the design of the street and safety for the five transportation modes. The field research will be situated in the context of regional, state, and federal policy and the cultural significance of these transportation modes.