Questioning mobility ideals – the value of proximity for residents in socially deprived urban areas in Sweden

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2021

Subject Area

place - europe, place - urban, policy - social exclusion

Keywords

Mobility types, motility, time-geography, transport poverty, social inclusion

Abstract

Despite discourses of contemporary high-mobility, a life characterised by high mobility is in sharp contrast to many people’s experiences and personal preferences. Previous research has shown that mobility and transport opportunities are unevenly distributed in society. The paper explores how young unemployed people and low-skilled care workers in two Swedish urban municipalities prefer to travel less and stay local rather than undergoing time-consuming and expensive public transport trips. The results show that various temporal and spatial restrictions are significant regarding the extent to which public transport can cater for mobility needs, and that transport opportunities are part of an individual’s opportunity to be socially included. The results indicate that other policy areas, such as the labour market policy and the public health policy, are equally important for social inclusion.

Rights

Permission to publish the abstract has been given by Taylor&Francis, copyright remains with them.

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS