Reclaiming the right to the city : towards equitable active transport in Glasgow

Abstract

A modal shift to active travel is increasingly being recognized as critical to reducing transport emissions and transitioning to net zero. The Scottish Government’s transport policy identifies sustainable transport as crucial to creating a healthier, fairer, and more prosperous Scotland, with 10% of transport budget allocated to active travel. Glasgow has successfully prioritized active travel infrastructure by integrating it with city-wide transformations. However, Glasgow’s long-standing history of deprivation and legacy of planning mistakes calls into question the effectiveness of its planning paradigms in addressing policy goals and delivering infrastructure equitably. This research critically evaluates Glasgow’s active travel policy and delivery through the lens of social justice using Henri Lefebvre’s Right to the City. The concept of the right to the city has played a critical role in mobilizing social movements and academic interest to address and resist spatial inequities of neoliberal urban infrastructures. The research uses combined qualitative and quantitative methods to address the fundamental question of who is excluded from the right to mobility. Literature and policy review, semi-structured interviews, and macro-micro spatial analysis has been employed to understand the policy, planning, and delivery of active travel infrastructure. Qualitative methods suggest a complex delivery process involving multiple stakeholders and highlights an inadequate consultation process that overlooks the strength of collective local decision-making. GIS-based spatial analysis indicates the inequitable distribution of active travel infrastructure while neighbourhood level walkability analysis reveals a mixed picture that calls for further research. This research contributes to knowledge in the field of active travel by re-politicizing the dynamics of policy implementation towards advancing critical perspectives on transport equity. It reiterates the need for collective action and collaborative processes to reclaim the right to active mobility thereby the right to the city.