Organisation does matter – planning for cycling in Stockholm and Copenhagen

This article explores how the organisation of urban and transport planning departments affects the development of a sustainable transport system and the promotion of bicycling. Interviews conducted in Stockholm and Copenhagen showed that the organisation of the departments affects the social relations between the planners and creates power relations that either foster or marginalise cycling within planning processes. In Copenhagen, an integrated planning organisation allows for more knowledge exchange between urban, transport, and bicycle planners and creates an environment of understanding for different professional views on planning. However, this is not the case in Stockholm where cycling is marginalised in planning and in the existing infrastructure. This study concludes that the integrated transport and urban planning organisation in Copenhagen promotes cycling more than the less integrated planning organisation in Stockholm. Furthermore, it is concluded that the different organisations have led to different power relations that shape the outcome of the planning processes.