Car-restrictive policies and social justice: a troubled blend?

            The complex nature of the current urban mobility system in Brussels and Belgium makes the shift towards more sustainable travel patterns challenging to realise. On the one hand, car-restrictive policies are indispensable to facilitate and increase the pace of the ecological transition. On the other hand, policies are never neutral and -intentionally or not- have different impacts on different segments of the population, making critical issues related to social justice emerge. Ironically, in the debate around car-restrictive policies, both proponents and opponents mobilise arguments that refer to social justice. Proponents, for instance, emphasise that low-income will benefit most from car-restrictive policy, as these households tend to live in the most polluted areas, often in dwellings without much private outdoor space. Opponents stress the lack of alternatives for car use and the extent to which they are forced into car-dependent practices, for instance, for work.
          

In this context, we organize a roundtable to reflect on the complex relations between car-restrictive policies and social justice. What are the impacts of car-restrictive policies on different socio-economic groups? Do they exacerbate or compensate for social injustice? How effective are the measures accompanying the most vulnerable people in the transition toward post-car cities? By referring to specific examples and analysing and deconstructing their impact on society, we aim to answer these and other questions.

The objectives of the roundtable are:

Mobilise existing knowledge: if the debate is often based on preconceived ideas, we aim to analyse the existing evidence. We want to start with concrete examples of car-restrictive policies and see what knowledge exists to determine their impact. There are different forms of knowledge, ranging from big data to the experiential knowledge of practitioners and the daily experiences of citizens. We want to bring to the table all of it and figure out how it helps respond to our question.
Identify knowledge gaps: part of the exercise is also to identify the limit of the available knowledge and the gaps. This is helpful to put the available knowledge into perspective and feed the future research agenda.
Articulate the concept of just mobility: While our joint effort to respond to the question will hopefully shed light on the main question, it will also help articulate the concept of "just mobility": what would look like a mobility agenda that is at the same time car-restrictive and socially just? how does it articulate with broader concepts of environmental justice?

The event is organized as part of the project COGITO: Coping with climate debt through just transition.

Participants are invited to present a short pitch in which they unpack one or more specific aspects of a policy in relation to social. The goal is not to provide a universal definition of justice and/or a comprehensive evaluation of the policy but to explain what the measure aimed for, how it was implemented, who benefited most, where the most gains were found and what (unforeseen) drawbacks were identified. We also welcome contributions that shed light on different methods and criteria to appraise car-restrictive impacts on different population groups and geographical areas.

The presentation is not compulsory | non-presenting participants are also welcome to the event.

More information can be found on the event description here. Registration is free but compulsory: https://forms.office.com/e/nkV20mHgq9