Challenges for Accessibility
Planning and Researchin the context of Sustainable Mobility
Cecília Silva and Anders Larsson

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

1Challenges
Lack of Implementation

Conceptual Ambiguity
What Accessibility?

How much Accessibility?

Usability limitations

Ill conception

Accessibility needs

Usefulness limitations

Lack of appropriation

Sufficient Accessibility

Insubstantial role

Low adherence
to real-life concerns

Standardization

Partial Implementation

Loss of meaning ofAccessibility
Appropriateness tocontext of use

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson2

Lack of Implementation
Usability limitations

Usefulness limitations
Insubstantial role

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson3

Lack of Implementation
DemandSupplyRigour

Usability limitations

Researchers& Consultants

Usefulness limitations
Insubstantial role

PlanningPractitioners

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

Relevance4Lack of Implementation
Usability limitations

Evidence on how to improve Usability
GENERAL LITERATURE

LITERATURE ON ACCESSIBILITY
INSTRUMENTS

te Brömmelstroet, (2017)

Silva et al. (2017)• simplification of the underlying models,• increasing transparency,• increasing flexibility• real-time interaction capabilities• communicative value

Papa et al., 2017
The importance of interaction with practitioners to improved developers’ awareness
ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

5Lack of Implementation
Usability limitations
Usefulness limitations
Insubstantial role

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

LITERATURE ON ACCESSIBILITY INSTRUMENTS
Silva et al. (2017)• usefulness was in general positively regarded by practitioners

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Lack of Implementation
Usability limitations
Usefulness limitations

LITERATURE ON ACCESSIBILITY INSTRUMENTS
Silva et al. (2017)16 local workshops with planning practitioners

Insubstantial role

• limited understanding of the accessibility concept• limited evidence found of real accessibility-based policies• limited evidence found of integrated approaches to land use andtransport planning
accessibility is often misunderstood, poorly defined and measured (Geurs and Wee, 2004)
it is even more so in practice (te Brömmelstroet, 2016) were it has become fashion

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

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Lack of Implementation
Usability limitations
Usefulness limitations
Insubstantial role

• Lack of implementation• Mis-implementation• Disregarding accessibility concerns• institutionalization• Engagement between research and practice

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

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Conceptual Ambiguity
What Accessibility?
Ill conception

Gould (1969; 64)
Accessibility is ‘a slippery notion […] one of those common terms
that everyone uses until faced with the problem of defining andmeasuring it’.

… no, I mean
Accessibility

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

I know what accessibility
means! I have improved
accessibilityI of people mywhole career. Look at thisnew motorway…

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Conceptual Ambiguity
What Accessibility?
Ill conception
Real DemandAccessibility
ends
means
Derived DemandMobility

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

Proximity

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Conceptual Ambiguity
What Accessibility?
Ill conception

Is accessibility
I
important?

Yes

How muchI you
shouldprovide?

… as much aspossible

Are interestedIin improving it?

Yes

Lack of appropriation

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

11Conceptual Ambiguity
What Accessibility?
Ill conception

Lack of appropriation
Low adherence
to real-life concerns

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson???

Accessibility to jobs
improved form 20.000
accessible jobs to 25.000

12Conceptual Ambiguity
What Accessibility?
Ill conception

Lack of appropriation
Low adherence
to real-life concerns• Un-reflected use• Mis-implementation• Continue on the ‘predict and provide’ paradigm• Develop understanding - institutionalization• Regulators / Observers (ex.: EU, ITF, etc.) needed to ensure
understanding is valued in institutionalization• Meaningful measures
ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

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Conceptual Ambiguity
What Accessibility?
Partial Implementation

Accessibility assessment only by one single mode (absolute)
A problem if sustainable mobility is a concern

What will happen to
the relativecompetivenessof PT?
I
What will happen to
local accessibility(local activities)?
…

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

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Conceptual Ambiguity
What Accessibility?
Partial Implementation

Accessibility assessment only at the regional level
A problem if sustainable urban development and quality of urban
living is a concern

This map led to the discussion of the location policy for primary schools
ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

15Conceptual Ambiguity
What Accessibility?
Partial Implementation• Produce biased understandings of accessibility• Continue on the ‘predict and provide’ paradigm (accessibilitymeasures as the new 4 step-model)• Relative accessibility assessment• Local accessibility assessment in addition to regional ones
• Public discussion of what accessibility (regional and local)

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

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Conceptual Ambiguity
How much Accessibility?
How muchI you
shouldprovide?

… as much aspossible

Identifying Accessibility needs
Defining sufficient Accessibility• Adopting a more-is-better logic (as with mobility)• Continue on the ‘predict and provide’ paradigm• Institutionalization• Building standards

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

17Conceptual Ambiguity
How much Accessibility?
Standardization
Loss of meaning ofAccessibility• Number crunching practice• Un-reflected uses
• Building standards => Focus on the local meaning• Building standards => The process of standard building• Standards should be defined for each location, transportmode, scale, social groups, etc. (Silva and Larson,forthcoming).
ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

Appropriateness tocontext of use

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Lack of Implementation

Conceptual Ambiguity
What Accessibility?

How much Accessibility?

Challenges / Approaches
Institutionalization

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

Define thresholds throughcollaborative process
Context sensitive by location, transport mode, scale,social groups, etc.

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Suggestions for a Research and Policy Agenda
Research Agenda

Policy Agenda

On meaning of accessibility (several perspectives)
including the underlying value chain and priorities.

Institutionalization of accessibility-based planning

On the definition and processes of identifying
accessibility thresholds

Political and public debate of what accessibility we need
and would be enough

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

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Challenges for Accessibility
Planning and Researchin the context of Sustainable Mobility

Cecília Silva
University of Oporto
ccsilva@fe.up.pt

Anders Larsson
University of Gothenburg
anders.larsson@geography.gu.se

ITF meeting . Cecília Silva & Anders Larsson

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