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Configuring the Urban Traveler

Local Adaptation of European Air Policy

Martin Letell

Göteborg University, Sweden

Today, two trends in European societies are often referred to as being strong and growing. The first is about centralization, i.e. governmental use of scientific recommendations as a universal tool guiding policy and advising citizens on how to behave. The second is about increasing self-reliance among ordinary citizens who claim personal-autonomy while contesting central state power decisions and universally framed scientific advice. Both these trends concern public involvement in decision-making about technical issues, but also comprise a possible paradox. The European Union (EU) characterizes this as being a growing conflict. In the article, the conflict is analyzed in a case study on air quality initiatives in the city of Gothenburg, part of the aim being to create integrative and standardized European air quality. The ways in which the city applies the EU Air Quality Framework Directive for local implementation are studied, and the question is raised of what local involvement is needed for the city to successfully implement the directive. By studying how policy-makers try to define future traveling behavior in order to support an air policy action plan, three different configurations of the agency of the urban traveler are found. The most neglected of these is found to be the one most important for closing the gap in the conflict mentioned above.

Key Words: agency attribution • air policy • European harmonization • public involvement • urban travel

Acta Sociologica, Vol. 48, No. 3, 205-219 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0001699305056563


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