A bus ride with Foucalt

Institute for Transport StudiesFACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT

A bus ride with Foucalt

Alvaro Guzman, Ian Philips, Karen Lucas, Greg Marsden

.Philips@leeds.ac.uk

Presented by Alvaro Guzman @aguzmanj

Bus Ride With Foucault

- Outline

What kind of Bus Ride?

Why with Foucault?

Methodology

Discussion

Conclusion

Bus Rapid Transit

a high-quality bus- based transit system that delivers fast, comfortable, and cost-e ective urban mobility through the provision of segregated right-of-way ffinfrastructure, rapid and frequent operations, and excellence in marketing and customer service’ (Wright and Hook, 2007).

BRT in Quito

First BRT outside of Brazil, 1995.= innovators at the time

In 2016 Quito has 5 corridors.

72 km of segregated busways

830.000 passengers daily.

Quito is the Capital of Ecuador.

World Heritage city(1978)

2.3 million habitants.

Source: brtdata.org

Social inequalities Quito

Why Foucault?

We invite Foucault on a bus ride to help us contest our thinking about the role of BRT in Quito.

Planning is understood as something ‘good’.The outcomes of planning are not always what we would like it to

be.The outcomes are a consequence of powerful forces. Understanding the role of power can give use some clues to start

unpacking the existing forces. Foucault understanding of power breaks away from common

understandings of power as they do not capture all the complexities of modern uses of power.

Power

• Power is a complex set of relations. • Power elevates certain knowledges into a

hierarchical level.• Power not exclusively localized in any

particular person or group, it spreads throughout the most micro levels of the social body.

• Power is not simply repressive but it is productive.

• Power operates dynamically at the most micro levels of social relations.

• The exercise of power is strategic and war-like.

• Where there is power there is resistance –

(1) Where are we going?

(2) Who gains and who loses, and by which mechanisms of power?

(3) Is this development desirable?

(4) What, if anything, should we do about it?

Methodology: Phronetic approach (after Flyvbjerg)

Phronesis is thinking about where our world view comes from, thinking about the inherent knowledge power, and about the other forms of power that might be trying to influence the choice of solution. Phronesis is a critical filter on world views and technical capability.

Ask 4 questions

Power Model

Innovation1991 2012

BRT

Where are we going?

Public Transport was regulated by National Government.

Public polls showed high popular dissatisfaction public transport.

Mayor of the time re-invigorated an existing project so seek congressional approval for The metropolitan district of Quito.

Transport Study Unit is established.

TSU develops a Master Transport Plan of Quito.

Transport is driven by a positivist and instrumental view of transport.

TSU brings, creates and disseminates knowledge.

TSU as a starting point for the analysis of power.

Who wins and who loses, and by which mechanisms of power?

Winners•A close network of friends of the Mayor•The politicians wins as the systems creates huge political impact driving to the re-election of the mayor and later the presidency. •The planners at the TSU, create national and international respect. Advising the implementation and the managing of different systems. •The BRT brought peace to a contested street space.•The city and its citizens win in the area where the system is implemented, more largely it changes the perception that things can be done differently.

Who wins and who loses, and by which mechanisms of power?

- Losers

•Transport providers

•Segments of the population do not receive the promise of a “better transport system”.

Who wins and who loses, and by which mechanisms of power?

Mechanisms of Power

Dissatisfaction

AuthorityManipulation

PersuasionCoercion

Congress

City Council

Mayor3Police

F. Adviso

r1

W. Bank

Bank

Planner1

Planner2

External1

External1

Municip

Trans. Provide

rs

Internal1

Citi

zens

AuthorityManipulation

PersuasionCoercion

Mayor4

Bank

Planner4

Municip

Trans. Provide

rs

Citi

zens

Dissatisfaction

Is this development desirable?

The participants agree that BRT changed the public transport of the city dramatically.

The population realize that things can be different.

But…Big areas of the city lack of good transport, the

poorest segment of the population are still left out of the system. Causing new dissatisfaction.

A static state of a dominant ideas is introduced with little space for innovation, new ideas do not develop.

What should be done?

Conclusions

The understanding of the exercise of power, is useful to begin to understand some of the reason behind the adoption of BRT.

A successful group of planners is generated that help disseminate the BRT concept, throughout the country and into other countries.

Leaving important knowledge out of the planning process is capable to generate problems of exclusion.

The role of friendship has not been captured within the approaches to understand power, there is space to use other existing theories to understand it further.

Thank you

Alvaro Guzman PhD student

ts09ang@leeds.ac.uk

@aguzmanj

Dr Ian Philips

i.Philips@leeds.ac.uk

@ianphilipsits

Institute for Transport Studies www.its.leeds.ac.uk @ITSLeeds