2024/07/18 by Stefan Gößling, Nadja Schweiggart, M. Nieuwenhuijsen +2 · 1 voice · 3 citations
Social Sciences · #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Social Media and Politics #Populism, Right-Wing Movements
paper · doi:10.1016/j.cities.2024.105273
openalex publication_date 2024/07/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Many cities seek to change their transport systems to reduce negative outcomes. This generally involves measures supporting active and public transport, restricting vehicle use. Infrastructure modification and legislative developments are often perceived as ‘attacks’, and lead to resistance by specific groups. This paper uses critical discourse analysis to evaluate a convenience sample of 185 social media threads opposing Ultra-Low Emission Zones (ULEZ), Clean Air Zones (CAZ), and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN) in four cities in the UK, Oxford, London, Birmingham, and Bradford. Themes are identified through MaxQDA to determine the range of discursive strategies used, as well as to understand their interrelationships. Findings highlight intersections of populist politics and (sustainable) transport policymaking and planning in UK cities. The understanding of the mechanisms at work can facilitate the development of less divisive strategies for transforming urban transport systems.