Inclusive Mobility or Inclusive Accessibility? A European Perspective

  • Caroline Gallez Université Paris-Est, LVMT-IFSTTAR
  • Benjamin Motte-Baumvol Université Bourgogne
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18543/ced-56-2017pp79-104
Keywords: mobility, accessibility, social inclusion, public policy, Europe

Abstract

“Inclusive mobility” is part of a set of political priorities defined by several European countries to refer to the social dimension of transport or daily mobility policies. More generally, “inclusiveness” refers to social cohesion, which has been one of the declared objectives of the European Union since the beginning of the 2000s. As a way to facilitate access to opportunities, individual mobility is currently considered as a necessary prerequisite for people’s participation in social activities. In contrast, immobility or “lack of mobility” would be a risk factor for social exclusion. However, due to the ambiguity of mobility—which can be considered either as an essential resource or as a cost; as a basic right or as an injunction to be “mobile”—political objectives of inclusive mobility can mask some contradictions. In this article, we focus on different issues related to inclusive mobility in Europe. First, we discuss the way in which social aspects of transport and mobility are taken into account in the European and national political agendas. Then, we give a picture of social inequalities regarding daily mobility in different European countries. Finally, we discuss the opportunity to change political priorities from inclusive mobility to inclusive accessibility.

Received: 09 January 2017
Accepted: 06 March 2017
Published online: 02 May 2017

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Author Biographies

Caroline Gallez, Université Paris-Est, LVMT-IFSTTAR

CAROLINE GALLEZ (caroline.gallez@ifsttar.fr) is a senior researcher at Ifsttar (French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks) in the City, Transport and Mobility Laboratory (France). Trained as an economist (PhD in economic science at the University Paris 1 Sorbonne, France), she has been working for the last fifteen years on the building of local public policies. Her main areas of interest are the social representation of mobility and the analysis of mobility and land-use policies regarding social and environmental issues. At the request of the Volvo Foundation for Research and Education (VREF), she worked with Sylvie Fol (University of Paris 1-Sorbonne) on the social issues of urban access to opportunities. She is currently involved in an interdisciplinary and prospective-oriented research project on energy transition-oriented measures in the Ile-de-France Region. Caroline Gallez is director of the PhD school “City, Transport and Territories” of University Paris-Est. She is a member of “Flux”, international scientific quarterly on networks and territories.

Benjamin Motte-Baumvol, Université Bourgogne
BENJAMIN MOTTE-BAUMVOL (benjamin.motte@u-bourgogne.fr) is an associate professor at Université de Bourgogne (Department of Geography) and researcher at the ThéMA CNRS laboratory (Theory and Modelling for Planning) (France). He was for several years the head of studies of the Master degree in Transport, Mobility and Environment and continues as a professor in this programme. His research focus on public transportation services measure, car dependency and mobility behaviour analysis, including gender issues, socio-spatial inequalities and the influence of the Internet. These research objects are applied to two privileged work fields: France and Brazil. Benjamin Motte-Baumvol was a visiting professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro six months in 2013, and published several articles in international journals with Brazilian researchers. In France, after leading a research project on the effects of online sales on accessibility to businesses in urban peripheries, he is now engaged in a three-year research project on demotorisation involving several teams from different universities.
Published
2017-04-30
How to Cite
Gallez, Caroline, and Benjamin Motte-Baumvol. 2017. “Inclusive Mobility or Inclusive Accessibility? A European Perspective”. Deusto Journal of European Studies, no. 56 (April), 79-104. https://doi.org/10.18543/ced-56-2017pp79-104.
Issue
No. 56 (2017): Governing Mobility in Europe: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Section
Monographic Articles

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