Conflicting Interests in Transport Infrastructure Planning: Theoretical Approaches and Practical Implications of Conflict Management in Planning Processes

Abstract

Planning transport infrastructure, such as highways requires collaboration among different actors. Various understandings of the physical environment and the infrastructure itself are inherent in the planning processes, often causing conflicts. They differ not only within the expert and local communities but also in different socio-spatial contexts. Therefore, planners need to develop a deeper understanding of the diverse social perceptions of space and infrastructure in different social and spatial contexts. To enhance conflict management and to implement environmentally and socially sound infrastructure projects, case studies are important. In this chapter, we examine and discuss how conflict management is conceptualized in planning theory and how these theoretical approaches are translated into practice. We contribute to the growing literature that redefines the understanding of conflict management in spatial planning, using the case of the Third Development Axis Highway in Slovenia, as an example. Rather than attempting to evaluate various theoretical conflict management approaches, we focus on the potential practical ways of addressing spatial conflict in highway planning. We develop the concept of dynamic planning approach adaptable to different socio-spatial contexts. We propose that a planning process should be based on continuous deliberation among multiple actors, including those from academia, which is often overlooked.