Malve Jacobsen

Temporalities of Assembling Transport Systems: Presences and Absences in a Planning Process

Introduction

Temporalities of assembling transport systems: presences and absences in a planning process. Explore the social & political dimensions of transport system planning. Using Dar es Salaam's DART bus system, this article reveals how presences & absences shape infrastructure assembly.

Abstract

Presences and absences, both in material and discursive shapes, provide insights into the social and political dimensions of infrastructures and their planning and implementation process. Taking the case of a transport system in Dar es Salaam (DART), this article illustrates how the bus system exists in a constant (re‑)making by its (non‑)human actors. Due to translations of ideals, social interactions, and negotiations of power and by the presences and absences of material components and appearances, behaviours and discourses DART’s objects temporarily have different shapes. The text concludes with the idea that the various forms of presence and absence – expressed in different scripts – shape the assembling of this technological system.

Review

This article presents a highly original and insightful examination of infrastructure development, specifically focusing on the dynamic and contingent nature of transport systems. By introducing the analytical lens of "presences and absences," both material and discursive, the authors offer a compelling framework to understand the complex social and political dimensions inherent in the planning and implementation of large-scale projects. The emphasis on "temporalities" is particularly crucial, moving beyond static views of infrastructure to explore its continuous evolution and inherent fragility, making a valuable contribution to urban studies and STS. Through a detailed case study of the Dar es Salaam transport system (DART), the article effectively illustrates how such a bus system is in a constant state of (re-)making, influenced by a myriad of (non-)human actors. The analysis delves into the intricate interplay of ideal translations, social interactions, and power negotiations, demonstrating how these factors, coupled with the shifting material components, appearances, behaviors, and discourses, cause DART's objects to adopt diverse temporary configurations. This approach successfully uncovers the nuanced mechanisms by which infrastructures are not merely built, but perpetually assembled and re-assembled. The concluding argument, positing that various forms of presence and absence – manifest in different 'scripts' – fundamentally shape the assembling of technological systems, is a significant contribution to both urban studies and Science and Technology Studies. This work provides valuable theoretical and empirical insights into the socio-material constitution of infrastructure, offering a more dynamic and process-oriented understanding than traditional approaches. It compels readers to consider what is seen and unseen, stated and unstated, as critical determinants in the ongoing life of infrastructural projects and their planning processes.

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