The case for transition to a sustainable transport system in Stellenbosch

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Human existence in its current form is unsustainable. Urban transport systems are one ofthe chief contributors to this problem due to the dominant role of the car. Car dominatedtransport systems have a number of serious impacts on social, economic and ecologicalsystems which collectively suggest they are not sustainable. The complex, global 'system ofautomobility, a powerful socio-technical regime, ensures that car dominated transportsystems endure, despite the serious problems they generate.In the face of the power and resilience of this system, there are examples around the worldof urban areas which have implemented transport initiatives which depart from thedominant paradigm of automobility. They have successfully provided viable alternatives tothe car, facilitated urban forms which are supportive of green modes and 'reconqueredscarce urban space from the automobile.However, there are a multitude of barriers to any transition to sustainable urban transportsystems. These can only be overcome through the related processes of contestation andinnovation.The case of Stellenbosch is a local expression of the global 'system of automobility.Through a combination of infrastructure, urban form, institutions, beliefs and ways of life,this system is perpetuated at a local level. In a highly inequitable developing countrycontext, this is particularly problematic. A town primarily designed to service car mobility isbest suited to the reproduction of the middle class. The poor, and others without access toa car, are at a disadvantage and movement by green modes is, everywhere, discouraged.And yet, there are a number of innovative initiatives occurring within the town which departfrom the dominant paradigm, contesting its continued dominance. The path towardstransition is at all times uncertain. However, it is possible to enhance the potential fortransition by strengthening existing niches, contesting existing regimes and preparing for theimminent increase in landscape pressure generated by climate change and resource scarcity.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University