| Abstract |
The proposed network offers a novel and ambitious rethinking of global transport challenges of developing cities from the perspectives of vulnerable citizens, whose needs at the street-level are often overlooked. The primary aim of this 'Transport and Mobilities Network' is to build capacity for interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaborations between academics, policymakers, project funders and practitioners in the design and delivery of socially inclusive transport systems in four cities in the Global South: Cape Coast, Ghana; Dhaka, Bangladesh, Lagos, Nigeria and Kampala, Uganda. In particular, the network will draw academic and policy attention to the crucial role of transport can play in helping to address better personal mobility, reducing inequalities and create economic growth. and personal mobility The focus of the network is therefore on in developing cities in particular the severe plight of the challenges facing the most highly vulnerable members of the city communities, the urban poor, and especially women, young, elderly and disabled people. Until now, social policy has tended to overlook the severe problems that are associated with the transport system in the rapidly expanding cities of Low Developed Countries (LDCs) and Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). As such, the severe and increasing threat to livelihoods of the inaccessibility of vulnerable populations to markets, employment and other goods and services remains largely unaddressed within their urban and social development policies. Equally, the need to protect citizens from negative health effects of life-threatening levels of exposure to traffic-related pollutions, increased deaths and casualties from road traffic accidents and whole communities from severance by major new transport projects remains largely absent from transport or health planning. Network activities, including workshops and forums, This networking programme will serve to bring together highly recognised academics who have been working on this topic for many years within the UK with their academic counterparts and key policy stakeholder in the four aforementioned cities. The partners will work collectively to draw together the evidence on the transport and mobility needs of vulnerable populations groups in these countries and to coproduce the methodologies and policy tools that are needed to address their needs in the specific geographical contexts of each case study. The main contribution of the network activities aim will be to draw lessons from countries in the Global North and South that are already promoting policies to address the transport needs and concerns of low income and vulnerable populations, and to explore their applicability and adaptability for countries with less advanced transport and social policy trajectories. |
