Link to Session Platform

Chairs(s):

Joshua Davidson, 

; ,

Description:

Transportation equity is an important and growing component of urban social and spatial justice (Karner et al 2020; Sheller 2018). The crises associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, global economic recession, climate change, and racial injustice have only made more urgent the need to consider transportation as a key input in building an actionable “right to the city” for all (Attoh 2019).

Previous research has developed both a robust vocabulary through which to discuss transportation in light of diverse theories of justice (Pereira et al. 2017), and a range of quantitative (Martens 2016) and qualitative (Lowe and Mosby 2016) metrics by which to evaluate transportation equity initiatives. The foundations set by this body of research and the pressing examples of urgent need in the contemporary transportation environment together suggest new, creative, and rigorous engagements by asking what transportation equity and justice mean today and how a more just distribution of transportation resources can be achieved.

In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have shifted how people travel in cities around the world. Many cities have used these crises as opportunities to experiment with various strategies to promote more equitable travel options, especially for those who lack access to an automobile.

Recognizing the interdisciplinary nature of this topic, we encourage submission of conceptual, theoretical, or empirical research that draws on different research traditions within our discipline – i.e., transport geography, urban geography, urban planning, urban design, etc. – and/or takes different methodological approaches – i.e., quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods. We particularly encourage papers that highlight equity/justice-oriented research that better describes the mobility, accessibility, and/or safety of users who travel by means other than automobiles.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Transportation-related gentrification/neighborhood change
• Modal shifts of workers in response to climate change/pandemic/displacement
• Innovative or cross-sectoral partnerships to address transit and active travel in the new normal
• Addressing equity and justice issues for public transit and/or active travel users during the pandemic
• Mobility related equity and justice issues with a focus on vulnerable populations such as immigrants, racial minorities, elderly, persons with disabilities, etc.
• User centric transportation system design focusing on equity and justice issues.
• The geographies of predatory financial practices in transportation
• The geographies of urban protest in transport spaces
• Environmental justice research pertaining to transportation infrastructure
• Policy and/or grassroots initiatives contributing to equitable mobility outcomes
• Emerging theories in mobility equity and justice

Citations
Attoh, Kafui Ablode. 2019. Rights in Transit: Public Transportation and the Right to the City in California’s East Bay. Geographies of Justice and Social Transformation. Athens: The University of Georgia Press.
Karner, Alex, Jonathan London, Dana Rowangould, and Kevin Manaugh. 2020. “From Transportation Equity to Transportation Justice: Within, Through, and Beyond the State.” Journal of Planning Literature, May, 088541222092769. https://doi.org/10.1177/0885412220927691.
Lowe, Kate, and Kim Mosby. 2016. “The Conceptual Mismatch: A Qualitative Analysis of Transportation Costs and Stressors for Low-Income Adults.” Transport Policy 49 (July): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2016.03.009.
Martens, Karel. 2016. Transport Justice: Designing Fair Transportation Systems. New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Pereira, Rafael H. M., Tim Schwanen, and David Banister. 2017. “Distributive Justice and Equity in Transportation.” Transport Reviews 37 (2): 170–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2016.1257660.
Sheller, Mimi. 2018. Mobility Justice: The Politics of Movement in the Age of Extremes. London ; Brooklyn, NY: Verso

Non-Presenting Participants Agenda