Understanding transport challenges through the lens of wicked problems

Abstract

While the concept of ‘wicked problems’ is relatively mature in politics and public policy literature, it has received limited application in transport studies despite the majority of challenges in the transport sector being ‘wicked’ in nature. This chapter argues that the ‘wicked problems’ analytical lens provides a valuable approach through which to understand the dynamics of problem-setting in the transport sector. This, in turn can aid in understanding why transport policymaking (on the surface at least) often appears irrational in nature despite the technical-rational paradigm that pervades the field.