Reflections on the TESi Conference #3 From national policies to local decisions: Who needs expert support?

What did we take away from the TESi conference? / Four stories to spark discussion at CEPLAS

FROM NATIONAL POLICIES TO LOCAL DECISIONS: WHO NEEDS EXPERT SUPPORT?

STORY 3/4

The national framework should be developed with the active participation of the domestic professional community

An important opportunity for systemic progress lies in the development of a national framework for supporting sustainable urban mobility in Serbia.

International cooperation, the exchange of experience and support for the development of such a framework are highly valuable. However, the long-term value of national programmes also depends on how they are designed and on the extent to which they draw on domestic knowledge and institutional capacities.

For a national framework to be of high quality, it is particularly important that the professional community be involved from the earliest stages of its development, including the definition of its foundations, objectives and methodological approach.

It is therefore essential that domestic universities, professional associations, experts and representatives of local self-governments have the opportunity to actively participate in the development of national policies and mobility planning instruments.

Such cooperation requires transparent consultations, accessible communication channels and a willingness to consider professional recommendations and provide appropriate feedback.

The national framework should not simply be adapted to Serbia; it should be developed through genuine dialogue with the professional community, which understands local circumstances and will also be involved in its implementation.

Local self-governments need knowledge, capacity and support

The quality of planning does not depend solely on those who prepare the documentation. To a large extent, it also depends on the ability of institutions to define their needs, prepare high-quality terms of reference, monitor the preparation of documentation, assess its results and implement the proposed measures.

This is precisely why strengthening the professional and institutional capacities of local self-governments should be one of the key priorities, particularly in view of demographic trends, the uneven availability of qualified professionals, and the challenges local authorities face in attracting and retaining them. In this context, especially in areas experiencing long-term population decline, it is worth considering whether some of these challenges could be alleviated through inter-municipal cooperation or the development of shared professional capacities at the regional level.

Alongside the continuous professional development of transport engineers, it is also necessary to strengthen the knowledge and skills of local government employees involved in preparing and implementing planning decisions.

But our efforts should not stop with technical staff.

There is also room for better information and a clearer presentation of the basic principles of transport planning to decision-makers who do not have a professional background in transport. They are not expected to master transport modelling methodologies, but they should understand why certain analyses are important, what questions need to be asked and what consequences decisions made without an adequate professional foundation may have.

Willingness to engage in this kind of cooperation will not be the same everywhere. It is unrealistic to expect education and professional dialogue alone to remove all institutional barriers, but that is no reason to abandon the effort before even trying.

We do not have to change the entire system overnight. It is enough to start working with those who recognise the value of cooperation, demonstrate tangible results and use them as a foundation for building broader support.

In this process, professional associations can play an important role through education, the development of guidelines, assistance in defining terms of reference and the provision of independent expert opinions on the quality of the documentation produced.

The idea that a local self-government could turn to a professional association for an additional assessment of the methodology, scope of research or quality of a completed transport study is worth further consideration. Such support would have to be based on clear principles of professional competence, independence and the avoidance of conflicts of interest, without taking over the responsibilities of public institutions.

The goal is not for professional associations to replace public administration, but to help it become a more competent client, partner and user of professional knowledge.

In the final story: Why are diverse perspectives and open dialogue essential prerequisites for joint action through CEPLAS?