Setting the stage for transport in human scale cities

This chapter sets the stage for the book Transport in Human Scale Cities. First, we highlight the multitude of current challenges facing urban transport systems, spanning from questions of climate crisis to distributive injustices. Second, we argue that if we are to have a systemic transition out of unsustainable lifestyles, we need to question our understanding of human on the move in the city. Here, the central point of paradigm change is a move away from narrowly defined homo economicus imaginary. As the third point, we argue for the move away from a simplistically rationalist image of our future-making actant networks and processes shaping cities and their transport systems. Thus, we need to recognize the dynamically complex nature of both people in cities and in organizations. For furthering our understanding, we underline the potential that the concept of human scale cities has for unpacking the multidimensional challenge of sustainability transformation. Rescaling our focus towards human scale in cities can be a turning point for us collectively making cities and transport systems better for all life on this planet, now and in the far future. © Miloš N. Mladenović, Tuuli Toivonen, Elias Willberg and Karst T. Geurs 2021.