Transport Politics and Public Policy

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website : http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject was formerly called Sustainable Transport and Public Policy.

The development of public policy in the field of transport planning is highly politicised. This subject provides an overview of how transport policy is made and how it is changed.

The subject explores various theoretical and practical understandings of the role of political power in change (and resistance to change) in transport policy with an emphasis on understanding role of the professional planner in these processes.

In Australian cities, transport policy is largely in the hands of institutions controlled by state governments, but there are many other players including the Commonwealth and local governments, private transport operators, unions and civic action groups. The subject explores the interactions of these groups and the influence of this contention on transport policy in relation to issues including:

• Requirements to reduce greenhouse impacts and otherwise improve the sustainability of the transport sector; and,
• Finance and resource allocation for urban transport.

The subject will be delivered in seminar form with reading, discussion and occasional lectures by experts on topics of current interest.

• Recognise how political power influences transport policy development in Australian cities; and,

• Understand the potential for engagement in transport policy development processes by professional planners working in a range of institutions in Australian cities.

Transport Politics and Public Policy One group presentation (20%);

An individual project (40%);

Final examination (30%); and,

Participation (10%).

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Literature search and assessment
• Analysis and interpretation of policy
• Debating the values of transport policy in open forms
• Writing policy