Beyond the Grands Chantiers: Mapping the Deliberative System of Transport Governance in Paris

Abstract

Over the last twenty years, the greater Paris metropolitan region has seen a decline in vehicle trips per capita, and has invested in alternative modes. Understanding this transition requires looking beyond the formal planning process to the deliberative systems surrounding transportation in the city. Tim Marshall argues that those interested in participation, and even more so in the prospect of deliberation, should look to France and should broaden our vision beyond formal participation to the deliberative system. We take up Marshall’s call for deliberative systems research with a comparative analysis of two public deliberations around subway network extension and bus transit improvement, and use Sherry Arnstein’s ladder of participation as a set of evaluation criteria. Both involve engagement at multiple scales, and are embedded in ongoing deliberations that stretch beyond their formal consultation periods. We explore whether such deliberation led to a consensual, sustainable territorial project. We find that while the system as a whole ranks on the lower rungs of Arnstein’s ladder and does not reach its aspirational vision of inclusive community participation, moments where coalitions formed to shape the problem-solution nexus moved up the ladder from consultation to partnership, making the Paris system a good model to strengthen and replicate elsewhere.