Speakers
Description
Urban streets are critical spaces for addressing the intertwined challenges of mobility, equity, and sustainability. Far from being mere conduits for movement, streets are dynamic public spaces (Bertolini, 2020) where diverse mobilities and needs intersect, and where issues of justice and equity are contested. Drawing on Mimi Sheller’s (2018) foundational theories of mobility justice, this research investigates the application of justice principles in urban transformation processes, focusing specifically on streets. Despite the theoretical significance of mobility justice, challenges remain with its exploration and operationalisation in practice (Verlinghieri 2024), particularly in the context of street transformations. What is more, seeing street transformations merely as socio-technical innovations can risk obscuring their aim of bringing together the different, often contradictory interests and needs of multiple actors – an intrinsically political exercise. This study aims to highlight how theories of justice—distributive, procedural, recognition, and epistemic—can offer a lens to better understand streets not just as technical infrastructures but as inherently political spaces where power, access, and identity are negotiated. A focus on street transformations also generates reflections on their potential to catalyse systemic change by addressing the inequities embedded in urban transport systems.
More specifically, this study examines how mobility justice can be operationalised in street transformation projects across five European cities: London (UK), Amsterdam (NL), Braga (PT), Kozani (GR), and Riga (LV). Conducted within the framework of Just Streets - an €11 million EU Horizon project involving 32 transdisciplinary partners - the research evaluates interventions such as street space reallocation/reclaiming (London Harley Street, Kozani, Riga), active mobility infrastructure improvements and tactical urbanism (Amsterdam) and school zones for child-friendly mobility (London Lambeth and Braga). These initiatives aim to prioritise marginalised groups, foster equitable access, and redefine streets as inclusive spaces for social interaction, environmental sustainability, and community well-being.
The research addresses two central questions:
1. What are the key dimensions of mobility justice, and how can they be systematically applied to guide street transformation processes?
2. What practical challenges arise in operationalising mobility justice within street transformation initiatives?
To answer these questions, the study adopts a multifaceted framework of mobility justice, integrating distributive justice (equitable resource allocation) (Pereira et al., 2017), procedural justice (participatory decision-making), recognition justice (acknowledging diverse mobilities) (Sheller, 2018), and epistemic justice (valuing non-expert knowledge) (Fricker, 2007). The research draws on policy analysis, case study reviews, stakeholder interviews, and site observations to explore how mobility justice principles are applied in planning practice and implementation processes.
Findings demonstrate that streets provide a unique opportunity to address systemic inequalities through tangible, localised and context-specific interventions. Some cases highlight the importance of participatory planning processes that empower marginalised voices, ensuring that transformations reflect community needs and priorities. Similarly, street changes that incorporate diverse knowledge systems and acknowledge diverse mobility and social needs demonstrate not only greater effectiveness in achieving equitable outcomes but also greater community acceptance of transformations. Additionally, street space reallocation cases from the five cities highlight the potential for the equitable redistribution of street resources by prioritising space for street users who had been previously marginalised. The study also highlights a number of challenges with operationalising mobility justice in practice. These include reflections on the concept of justice itself being notably absent from city planning documents, the lack of methodological frameworks and metrics for evaluating justice-related outcomes of street transformations, and limited institutional capacities for community engagement, frequently resulting in superficial consultation processes.
Finally, the study provides important reflections on the potential of localised, justice-centred street interventions to help shift urban transport planning from efficiency-driven paradigms to those prioritising equity, care and accessibility.
References
Bertolini, L. (2020) From “streets for traffic” to “streets for people”: can street experiments transform urban mobility?, Transport Reviews, 40(6), 734–753.
Fricker, M. (2007) Epistemic injustice: Power and the ethics of knowing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Pereira, R.H.M., Schwanen, T., and Banister, D. (2017) Distributive justice and equity in transportation. Transport Reviews, 37(1), pp. 1–22.
Sheller, M. (2018) Mobility justice: The politics of movement in an age of extremes, New York: Verso.
Verlinghieri E., Schwanen, T. (2020) Transport and mobility justice: Evolving discussions. Journal of Transport Geography, 87.
| Keywords | mobility justice; street transformations; just transitions; active mobility; inclusion |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
