Smart urban mobility from expert stakeholders’ narratives

Abstract

First World developed regions are usually those which pioneer technological and social advancements that later spread over the rest of the globe. Mobility has a considerable impact on cities and the regions which contain them. “Smart cities” are expected to promote denser city centres where not only private car needs are taken into account. Decision-making is crucial for boosting social cohesion and inclusiveness through the right social appropriation of technological progress. The Spanish region of Navarra and its capital city Pamplona are currently experiencing profound transformations which aim at integrating “smart city”-related innovations. In spite of the central relevance of the automobile industry for its economy, Pamplona is making efforts for consolidating alternatives to its private car-centred mobility. Intermodal transportation options offer a more sustainable and socially inclusive mobility-paradigm. This paper incorporates an analysis of the narratives and discourses of some of the key stakeholders in play, such as politicians, transportation experts and engineers. Their main viewpoints are examined from a sociological approach as they could predict new collective trends valid not only for this mid-size city but also for many analogous cases. The twentieth century idealisation of suburban citizens who live in residential areas next to a city and drive everywhere through wide roads in their private automobiles seems to be fading. The electrification of both private vehicles and public transportation is also regarded as imperative in tackling city pollution. Social and academic debate on how to successfully manage this paradigm shift is already being raised.