The fuel of discontent? Transport poverty risks and equity concerns in French urban peripheries

Abstract

A range of accessibility indicators has been developed in the past decade to evaluate equity in transportation within urban areas. Some studies have attempted to incorporate them in transport poverty metrics, focussing on insufficient access to general services and employment. While accessibility measures coupled with statistics have been effective in assessing immediate households’ vulnerability, we argue that an analysis of their adaptive capacity could contribute to a better information of local policies in the long term. This paper aims to develop a methodology for mapping transport poverty risks at the metropolitan scale, while studying the relation between urban segregation and the transport divide. We use the case study of Lyon to operationalise our method and find evidence of vulnerability patterns previously identified in the sociological literature. Beyond the sensitivity of households living in the first-crown neighbourhoods and the growing exposure of medium-income families settling in peripheral municipalities, we emphasise the importance of using mixed methodologies to better capture households’ needs and mobility choices within suburban environments. We conclude by discussing shortcomings and future developments of our research.