Citizen Perception and Ex Ante Acceptance of a Low-Emission Zone Implementation in a Medium-Sized Spanish City
The public decision-making process at the municipal level becomes extremely complicated for government managers when unpopular measures must be adopted. In this sense, citizen participation processes become a tool of undoubted added value that allows municipalities to adapt their policies to the nee...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Buildings |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/13/1/249 |
| _version_ | 1797444940426379264 |
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| author | Montaña Jiménez-Espada Francisco Manuel Martínez García Rafael González-Escobar |
| author_facet | Montaña Jiménez-Espada Francisco Manuel Martínez García Rafael González-Escobar |
| author_sort | Montaña Jiménez-Espada |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The public decision-making process at the municipal level becomes extremely complicated for government managers when unpopular measures must be adopted. In this sense, citizen participation processes become a tool of undoubted added value that allows municipalities to adapt their policies to the needs and feelings of their inhabitants. The aim of this research was to focus on addressing the point of view of the citizens of a medium-sized Spanish city in the face of the imminent implementation of a low-emission zone, in order to identify which aspects were of concern to citizens. The methodology used in the research was based on a declared preferences survey that allowed us to determine the daily behaviour of the user in terms of urban mobility and to anticipate the citizen’s reaction to the implementation of socially unacceptable initiatives, such as restrictions on access, circulation, and the parking of vehicles. The results obtained in relation to the consultation on alternative measures to tackle pollution, noise and traffic jams showed that citizens are receptive to improvements in universal accessibility, subsidies for public transport, increased road safety for PMV’s infrastructure, subsidies for the purchase of environmentally friendly vehicles and PMV, and the promotion of pedestrianisation. However, there are undoubted threats to the implementation of the LEZ, such as the lack of acceptance of the measure. Therefore, it is considered imperative for public administrations to work on the search for sustainable actions that contribute to improving the degree of compliance with the measure, while at the same time making an effort to disseminate the advantages of the LEZ for the quality of life and health of citizens (through information campaigns). There is a knowledge gap in scientific research on the ex ante assessment of the effects of possible transport measures to improve air quality in city centres and consultation through citizen participation. It is estimated that the resolution of this research gap could contribute to a more feasible, reasonable, and effective implementation of various urban mobility policies in medium-sized Spanish cities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:19:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a56f285e088d4005a27d044efb29d350 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-5309 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:19:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Buildings |
| spelling | doaj.art-a56f285e088d4005a27d044efb29d3502023-11-30T21:32:02ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092023-01-0113124910.3390/buildings13010249Citizen Perception and Ex Ante Acceptance of a Low-Emission Zone Implementation in a Medium-Sized Spanish CityMontaña Jiménez-Espada0Francisco Manuel Martínez García1Rafael González-Escobar2Department of Construction, School of Technology, Research Institute for Sustainable Territorial Development (INTERRA), Universidad de Extremadura, Avda de la Universidad s/n, 10003 Cáceres, SpainDepartment of Art and Territorial Sciences, Universidad de Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, SpainDepartment of Construction, School of Technology, Research Institute for Sustainable Territorial Development (INTERRA), Universidad de Extremadura, Avda de la Universidad s/n, 10003 Cáceres, SpainThe public decision-making process at the municipal level becomes extremely complicated for government managers when unpopular measures must be adopted. In this sense, citizen participation processes become a tool of undoubted added value that allows municipalities to adapt their policies to the needs and feelings of their inhabitants. The aim of this research was to focus on addressing the point of view of the citizens of a medium-sized Spanish city in the face of the imminent implementation of a low-emission zone, in order to identify which aspects were of concern to citizens. The methodology used in the research was based on a declared preferences survey that allowed us to determine the daily behaviour of the user in terms of urban mobility and to anticipate the citizen’s reaction to the implementation of socially unacceptable initiatives, such as restrictions on access, circulation, and the parking of vehicles. The results obtained in relation to the consultation on alternative measures to tackle pollution, noise and traffic jams showed that citizens are receptive to improvements in universal accessibility, subsidies for public transport, increased road safety for PMV’s infrastructure, subsidies for the purchase of environmentally friendly vehicles and PMV, and the promotion of pedestrianisation. However, there are undoubted threats to the implementation of the LEZ, such as the lack of acceptance of the measure. Therefore, it is considered imperative for public administrations to work on the search for sustainable actions that contribute to improving the degree of compliance with the measure, while at the same time making an effort to disseminate the advantages of the LEZ for the quality of life and health of citizens (through information campaigns). There is a knowledge gap in scientific research on the ex ante assessment of the effects of possible transport measures to improve air quality in city centres and consultation through citizen participation. It is estimated that the resolution of this research gap could contribute to a more feasible, reasonable, and effective implementation of various urban mobility policies in medium-sized Spanish cities.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/13/1/249access restrictionair pollutionactive mobility enhancementcommuterclimate change |
| spellingShingle | Montaña Jiménez-Espada Francisco Manuel Martínez García Rafael González-Escobar Citizen Perception and Ex Ante Acceptance of a Low-Emission Zone Implementation in a Medium-Sized Spanish City Buildings access restriction air pollution active mobility enhancement commuter climate change |
| title | Citizen Perception and Ex Ante Acceptance of a Low-Emission Zone Implementation in a Medium-Sized Spanish City |
| title_full | Citizen Perception and Ex Ante Acceptance of a Low-Emission Zone Implementation in a Medium-Sized Spanish City |
| title_fullStr | Citizen Perception and Ex Ante Acceptance of a Low-Emission Zone Implementation in a Medium-Sized Spanish City |
| title_full_unstemmed | Citizen Perception and Ex Ante Acceptance of a Low-Emission Zone Implementation in a Medium-Sized Spanish City |
| title_short | Citizen Perception and Ex Ante Acceptance of a Low-Emission Zone Implementation in a Medium-Sized Spanish City |
| title_sort | citizen perception and ex ante acceptance of a low emission zone implementation in a medium sized spanish city |
| topic | access restriction air pollution active mobility enhancement commuter climate change |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/13/1/249 |
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