PLANNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE EUROPE? - TU Berlin

34
and related propositions form the overall framework for the study, helping me to
operationalize each individual step.
In Parts I and II of this study, I rely on a vast array of secondary literature from
many social science sub-fields such as social/urban/planning theory, sociology, political
science, transport planning and policy, regional science, environmental studies or
political economy to formulate and corroborate my various propositions. I also do a
significant amount of direct document analysis. Primary data material is provided by EU
policy documents (both official and unofficial), supplemented with various non-EU
policy papers, as well as informal statements and interviews gathered from various
stakeholders. Part II strongly relies on the social constructivist method of discourse
analysis. In particular, I use the German concept of Leitbilder and on Maarten Hajer’s
concept of storylines to tease out the EU’s conflicting visions with regard to transport
infrastructure investments.
Set against this backdrop, Part III presents the case study on EU transport
infrastructure decision-making in Poland and Hungary. Here, I primarily use information
gathered from documents, personal interviews, and during conferences and workshops
related to the event. For the preparation of the case study chapter on the Budapest ring
road I also heavily rely on interviews and informal document material, especially for the
reconstruction of the debate between the European Investment Bank and
environmentalists. Personal visits to various ring road sites were made during my
interview phase in August 2000 and again in January 2001.