| dc.description.abstract | Does ubiquitous digitalization of urban mobility bring about economic, environmental and social benefits? While green and digital transformations of urban transportation are gaining momentum, the research on the intersection of this twin transition and mobility justice is relatively scarce, especially in Norway. This study aims to fill this gap by focusing on Stavanger – an affluent Norwegian city known for oil and gas production and aspiration to become smart and sustainable. The assumption is that if digitalization causes negative outcomes for mobility justice in Norway – a country that is far ahead of many others with regard to equity, digitalization and sustainability – then it is very likely to find the same pattern in other places.
In relation to this research problem, the thesis aims to answer the following research questions: What are the implications of digitalization of the urban transport sector for mobility justice in the process of twin transition? In which ways can digitalization contribute to or hinder decarbonization of urban transport? How do residents encounter the present-day transport system and how do they imagine the future transport system of Stavanger in relation to twin transition? In which ways can sociotechnical imaginaries produced by residents, businesses and authorities shape the urban transport sector of Stavanger?
In order to answer the research questions, the thesis adopts an analytical framework based on a theory of access and the capabilities approach, which help analyze how digitalization of the mobility sector in Stavanger empowers individuals inclusively by widening their capabilities, or reproduces social inequity by excluding certain groups through selective mechanisms of access. The thesis also explores what role urban imaginaries can play in shaping transport systems.
The master thesis follows a multiple methods qualitative approach, including qualitative document analysis, semi-structured interviews and qualitative survey, and experiments with use of visual tools in qualitative interviews. Moreover, the study also makes use of the findings acquired through the NOrwegian Energy POVerty research project on double energy vulnerability – i.e. domestic and transport energy poverty – in the context of Norwegian cities.
The findings show that while digitalization of the urban transport sector widens the range of capabilities for most individuals, it also sometimes reproduces existing structural exclusion. Therefore, the study demonstrates the need to include justice perspectives in the smart and sustainable urban imaginaries of the future, underlining that digitalization alone is not an adequate enabler of decarbonization. | |