Mobility is a basic prerequisite for social participation. Without sufficient mobility, participation in social life and thus social exchange, personal development and professional opportunities are impaired. The causes of a lack of mobility are manifold and include the local and individual availability of transport options, the accessibility of important destinations as well as the financial affordability of the available options. Currently, in light of high losses in purchasing power due to energy price increases, people increasingly have to weigh up between reduced mobility and cuts in other areas of life. At the same time, the negative consequences of transport often disproportionately affect those who themselves have little mobility.
The project aims to first classify and operationalise the many dimensions of mobility poverty and then to examine them empirically. The quantitative evaluations serve to provide a broad overview of how strongly different population groups in Germany are currently affected by various forms of mobility poverty. Based on the results, we derive concrete political recommendations for action along a defined criteria grid, which aim to distribute the opportunities and costs of mobility in the population more equitably in the future.
Project partners are the Institute of Transport Research at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Dr. Giulio Mattioli (TU Dortmund University).
