Cost efficiency and goal achivement – an evaluation of the city growth agreements

The urban growth agreements in the four major cities are based on the goal of zero growth in passenger car transport. If this is to be achieved in the future, the use of policy instruments will need to be more stringent. We have examined what characterises the work on portfolio management in the various urban growth agreements, focusing on cost-efficiency and goal attainment. There is little real portfolio management when choosing between projects. The portfolios of projects are characterised by previous decisions from the city packages, and the consideration of distribution between the municipalities in each urban region weighs heavily. There is a potential to make greater use of local instruments such as land-use policy, parking and road tolls to contribute to zero growth. There is little emphasis on cost-effectiveness, goal attainment and socio-economic return for the individual projects. Regular renegotiation of agreements can provide stronger incentives for efficient policies. There may also be a need for a more up-to-date knowledge base.