Barriäreffekter : En diskursanalytisk studie om barriäreffekter i projektet Karlstads nya resecentrum

Sammanfattning

This thesis analyses how barriers and barrier effects are presented in planning documents related to the project of Karlstad’s new travel centre. The aim is to examine how mobility barriers are described in the planning documents and how the transport infrastructure project is presented as a contributor to reducing, reinforcing or creating mobility barriers. The study is based on a qualitative case study where planning documents and visualizations are analysed based on Gillian Rose's discourse analysis 1 and thematic analysis. The theoretical framework consists of Tim Cresswell's and Peter Adey's theories of mobility and Torsten Hägerstrand's time geography. The results show that mobility barriers in the planning documents are primarily presented as plannable problems that can be solved through physical interventions in the environment. This includes physical design, new and improved passages, accessibility adaptations and traffic control. Hamngatan and the railway appear as barriers between the districts of Tingvallastaden and Viken. The analysis also shows that the project is not only presented as reducing barriers but also understood as producing new conditions for mobility. This is done through the redirection of traffic, risk management and safety considerations, as well as prioritization of different modes of transportation. The thesis thus shows that mobility in the planning documents is not neutral but socially ordered and is governed by discourses about sustainability, security, accessibility, efficiency and attractiveness.