Mobility, social inclusion and justice

Within the research area, research and investigative activities are being conducted with the aim of deepening the knowledge on social sustainability, social consequences and welfare consequences with regard to practices among different groups, their preconditions and requirements in relation to mobility and access to transportation.

Social issues constitute an important part of transport policy and represent a significant challenge for transport planning and road safety. Already in 1987, the Brundtland Commission (formally known as the World Commission on Environment and Development, WCED) identified three fundamental pillars of sustainability: economic development, social development and environmental protection. In the transport sector, however, social issues have been less explored and the research in this regard has been less influential compared to areas such as economics and the environment. In the footsteps of sustainability development, inequalities also emerge between those who can make sustainable choices in everyday life and those who do not have the same opportunities. The question of who benefits and who is disadvantaged, who is included and excluded in community and transport planning, needs to be continuously examined and explored. One important aspect is how equity and inclusion can be ensured for individuals and groups in a diversified society.

Within this research area, both social and institutional conditions are taken into account, such as research on policy and practice with regard to different actors, and the mobility, power and inclusion of different groups in planning, designing and maintaining transport solutions. The research may involve studies on social disadvantages resulting from existing or planned transport infrastructure (e.g. safety), studies related to transport needs, evaluations of social consequences, studies on public participation, and the inclusion of a traveller perspective. In the research area, studies are also being conducted on how different practices and everyday activities can be understood in relation to mobility and transport infrastructure. One focus is to understand how different groups of travellers organise their everyday life in relation to transport infrastructure and mobility; another is the interaction between “experts” and “non-experts” and how one can understand the communication of knowledge between them in a transport context (e.g., consultation procedure, training of road users).

Keywords:

Equality, gender equality, social sustainability, everyday life, everyday practices, mobility, mobility practices, accessibility, traveller perspective, social categorisation of travellers/road users (for example: young people, older people, women, men), intersectionality, inclusion, exclusion, welfare, equity, policy analysis, criticism, assessments, citizen confidence, method development.

Contact

Ongoing projects

Contact

Last updated: