Sustainable Transportation Planning: Gender, Mobility and Care
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 697
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Sustainable transportation planning is critical to achieving equity, decarbonization, and resilience in urban systems, while reducing reliance on private vehicles, optimizing resource efficiency, and enhancing accessibility. This Special Issue focuses on advancing strategies that address the specific mobility needs of women, including intersections with other variables such as age, race, ethnicity, and economic status, alongside at least one of the following aspects: (i) the integration of public transport with regional planning; (ii) innovations in micromobility, active and autonomous mobility, and demand or shared services, either in urban or rural settings. Public transport remains the backbone of sustainable and equitable urban mobility, but its effectiveness depends on seamless connectivity with micromobility, emerging shared and demand services, and active mobility modes.
This Special Issue aims to explore the intersection of gender approaches to transport and accessibility, with the implementation of policies that better respond to women’s travel needs at two scales: the metropolitan or regional scale, and the intermediate or neighborhood level, two scales that are intrinsically interconnected.
First, in addressing how transportation planning can be better integrated with planning at the regional scale, it is necessary to create reasonably compact and mixed-use urban environments, providing good transit services by structuring the region around transit nodes with mixed higher-density development around them, and reducing spatial segregation.
Secondly, the intermediate or neighborhood level is the key scale (though not the only one) at which to address the spatial and accessibility needs of the care tasks that people perform for the reproduction of life. Globally, the majority of "mobility of care" trips are undertaken by adult women. These trips occur in both unpaid and paid capacities; in the latter case, within formal and informal sectors of the economy.
Contributions could address policy frameworks, spatial dimensions, projects and plans, synergies between modes, technological innovations (e.g., mobility-as-a-service platforms), behavioral shifts, regulatory fragmentation, data interoperability, and affordability. By fostering interdisciplinary research, the Issue aims to identify scalable approaches for cities transitioning toward low-carbon, inclusive mobility systems.
Original research and review articles covering all kinds of mobility modes at all spatial scales are welcome. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Case studies of successful public shared mobility integration.
- Policy and governance models addressing regulatory and operational barriers.
- Technological advancements (e.g., MaaS, AI-driven optimization).
- Equity implications (e.g., affordability, rural/urban divides).
- Behavioral insights into mode-shift incentives and barriers.
We look forward to collecting more research, extending the planning literature by considering inclusive access, focusing on travel by women, and taking additional variables such as age, ethnicity, and other factors of potential disadvantage into account. Furthermore, we look forward to presenting diverse geographic contexts, and exploring the role of AI, IoT, and big data in mobility integration.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Inés Sánchez de Madariaga
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- sustainable transportation
- public transport and regional planning integration
- shared mobility
- women in transport
- Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)
- mobility of care
- multi-modal networks
- equity in mobility
- smart city planning
- transport policy innovation
- user behavior analysis
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