Equity Considerations in Transport Planning

Transport planning is inescapably a normative activity that should raise equity concerns. Yet, equity has remained a marginal issue in both research and practice. In this article, three different perspectives on equity and transport planning are discussed. They do not only differ in the extent to which they address the three dimensions of equity: distribution (the benefits and burdens that people receive), recognition (the way people are being addressed), and representation (the involvement of people in decision-making). They also differ in their implications for the practice of transport planning. In the first perspective, equity is seen as an impact of transport interventions, and transport planning should account for the distribution of benefits and burdens over population groups. In the second perspective, equity is seen as the goal of transport planning, drawing all attention to accessibility and redefining the very purpose of transport planning. The third perspective sees transport planning as one of the causes of current inequities in society and demands change across all dimensions of equity: distribution, recognition, and representation. The article ends with a call for a “normalization” of transport planning, by bringing it in line with the policy domains of housing, healthcare, and education.