Strong plans, weak levers

Abstract

Car dependence remains a persistent form of carbon lock-in, embedded in infrastructure, institutions, and everyday practices. While reducing private car use is recognized as essential for low-carbon transitions, less attention has been paid to how institutional design shapes the ability of different governance levels to pursue such goals. This study examines how institutional design enables or constrains efforts to reduce car dependence in Finland's capital region. The analysis draws on an extensive set of policy, strategy, and regulatory documents spanning national, regional, and municipal governance levels. Using institutional grammar and institutional network analysis, the study systematically codes institutional statements and maps their interactions across governance levels. It further examines developments across two policy cycles and compares three neighboring cities to assess how institutional design evolves over time and across local contexts. The findings reveal strong strategic alignment across governance levels, with shared commitments to densification, public transport, and active and shared mobility. However, this coherence coexists with limited authority: municipalities can innovate in land use and parking policies but lack access to key demand-management instruments, such as congestion charges. Moreover, cyclical planning and assessment rarely lead to substantive policy adjustments, limiting adaptive learning and reinforcing incremental rather than transformative change. The study contributes to research on institutional lock-in and transition governance by showing how coherent but weakly empowered governance structures can support innovation while constraining system-wide change. Accelerating the shift away from car dependence requires strengthening national frameworks, expanding local authority over demand-management tools, and implementing more responsive assessment mechanisms.