The local governance of multimodal mobility hubs

Multimodality describes the combination of several mobility modes and plays an essential role in the sustainable urban mobility transition and therefore, cities themselves. Mobility hubs are the physical location of changes between modes and bring forth a multi-sectoral and multi-level governance arrangement. Multiple public and private stakeholders from different political levels need to find innovative forms of cooperation. Mobility hubs also tackle the question of (re-)distribution of urban space and prioritization of environmentally friendly mobility modes. Furthermore, ensuring accessibility and usability for all potential users requires taking social aspects into account. This article asks how do organizational and ideational factors of the governance framework affect the implementation of mobility hubs and which political conclusions can be drawn from this? Academic literature on mobility hubs predominantly deals with their design and user needs, integration into urban space and environmental impact. With the given research question, this paper aims to enrich the growing literature on mobility hubs with considerations from a governance perspective. The theoretical approaches of governance arrangements and architecture will be combined with mobility culture and the new mobility paradigm. A multifaceted analytical framework allows examining different dimensions of the governance framework behind mobility hubs. Based on qualitative content analysis of local policy documents and 8-12 semi-structured expert interviews with local and regional stakeholders, two empirical examples on the local level in Brussels and Vienna will be analysed. In a broader sense, understanding the complex governance structures behind mobility hubs can enable more informed and coherent political decision-making processes and promote the sustainable urban mobility transition.