Administrative Structures

Initial Situation

Municipal mobility planning is currently influenced by multiple disruptions and challenges. On one hand, it is experiencing a paradigm shift from a predominantly technical traffic planning approach to a holistic mobility planning approach that places human needs at the center. On the other hand, there is a political and societal mandate to implement a mobility transition, shifting from car-oriented transport to sustainable, increasingly multimodal mobility.

These professional challenges often encounter established and inflexible municipal administrative structures and processes. In addition, municipal administrations frequently face declining financial resources and staff shortages. Municipalities in rural areas are particularly affected, as financial and personnel resources are often even more limited than in most large cities. Legal frameworks and technical opportunities, such as those arising from digitalization, require diverse staff competencies as well as a willingness to continuously update skills and adapt working methods and content. Furthermore, municipal administrations are increasingly required to develop communication strategies, conduct participation processes, and establish transparent monitoring and evaluation procedures. Long and complex planning and approval processes further slow down the pace of implementation.

Task

Against the background of the challenges outlined, municipal mobility planning should be organized for maximum efficiency.

The project therefore aims to identify barriers and success factors within municipal administrative structures in rural areas to enable successful and efficient mobility planning. The project develops concrete recommendations to optimize both formal and informal administrative structures and processes.

Approach

During the first project phase, relevant literature sources are identified, reviewed, and analyzed. In addition, a workshop with experts from the Interregional Mobility Network is conducted. The workshop serves to discuss initial findings from the literature analysis with participants and to enrich them with the network’s practical experience.

The second project phase involves the preparation, conduct, and evaluation of interviews with representatives from the target group for the recommendations. This primarily includes staff from municipal administrations in rural areas who are active in the mobility sector. The interviews aim to reflect and supplement the findings obtained so far and to explore specific aspects in greater depth, enabling the development of practical, actionable recommendations.

Results

The project is currently in its third and final phase. This phase involves deriving recommendations regarding external framework conditions, formal and informal structures and processes, as well as organizational culture within administrations to enable successful mobility planning. It builds on the results of the two preceding project phases and includes the documentation of the recommendations.