Politics and administration often face more difficult tasks than they might appear to outsiders. Therefore, we at B ro intrestik were pleased to have the opportunity to support the City of Munich in communicating a feasibility study. A study that will likely not provide a clear answer: the examination of the construction of an urban cable car for Munich's northeast.
Urban cable cars
This is a typical wicked problem. A wicked problem means that there are multiple issues and a multitude of different solutions; the problem affects a large number of people and, at the same time, has many interdependencies. There is often a tendency in communities to try to solve problems of this kind by commissioning ever more studies and scientific expertise. But it's actually a question of framing—how the issue is framed or conceptualized.
Choosing the public transport perspective almost automatically leads to the following questions: Is it possible to integrate a cable car into the existing public transport offering? What is the appropriate side track technology, which influences transport capacity? Will the cable car relieve congestion in public transport? Could the cable car become a cross tangent in Munich's radial public transport system?
From an urban development perspective, questions arise such as: Can iconic buildings (such as individual station buildings) enhance the value of the district? Can new neighborhood centers develop from the stations?
Economics considers whether the construction and operation of an urban cable car is more cost-effective than, for example, a tram? Does the construction of a cable car lead to an increase in the value of the properties affected by the route or does it tend to depreciate them?
Each of these perspectives and questions is justified. The complexity becomes increasingly apparent as the study progresses. It is therefore all the more important for us to hear the interim results and thus monitor the development. To this end, we will present the connections and answers found to residents in a public information session. At the same time, their assessment is requested. This will be incorporated interactively into the traffic, urban development, and natural environment issues. Our concept includes a ludic table where we invite citizens, either analog or digital, to take on different roles and play with the perspectives.