Mobility/accessibility

For much of the last century the focus on transport and the city centre has been on infrastructure development that enables as many people to move as quickly and efficiently as possible into and out of the urban core. Such mass mobility has been applied to all modes. The application of the notion of sustainable mobility is helping to reduce carbon emissions but is still not sufficient to meet internationally set targets. A new approach is needed - one that changes the nature of mobility, that focusses on accessibility, and one more tailored rather than mass. For this to happen, our relationship with transport modes has to shift - and the city centre has to be redesigned to reflect such transformations.

Key issues

Ditching peak time travel

A key element of city centre transport planning has been the need to accommodate large number of people commuting at set times to and from offices and leisure. With changing work patterns and lifestyles, the notion of such peak time travel is being challenged with new more flexible mobility based on new patterns of desired accessibility.

Slow mobility

Urban transport planning has often been about getting (fast) from A (suburb) to B (city Centre). The travel experience is a secondary consideration. Active travel alters this - health and wellbeing benefits, scenic and safe routeways, sociable and enjoyable nature. And in turn this underlines the value of slow mobility - and an environment that encourages and rewards such 'slowness'.

Accessibility first

In putting more emphasis on how mobility and transport systems can address societal goals, renewed attention is being given to how addressing accessibility can lead to more integrated transport and land use strategies. The redesigning of inclusive streetscapes and putting non-mobility issues first has significant potential to alter the attractiveness of the city centre for business and pleasure.

Learn more...

Find out more about research into how transport and mobility has to change to respond to societal and environmental challenges, and how in turn this will impact on the city centre. Click on titles for access.

Grand narratives for sustainable mobility: a conceptual review

Holden, Banister, Gossling, Gilpin & Linnerud (2020) Energy Research & Social Science, 65, 101454

This paper develops three Grand Narratives that bring together the key elements identified from the wider set of narratives—low mobility societies, collective transport 2.0, and electromobility. We conclude that each of the Grand Narratives provides a necessary but insufficient condition for achieving sustainable mobility.