Soft mobility and socio-spatial disparities: Assessment of the ergonomics of access to daily life resources

Abstract

In most large cities, public policies have led to reducing the prevalence of cars in different urban spaces, developing pedestrian and bicycle facilities or renewing public transport. This raises the question of the conditions of access to everyday resources throughout the urban agglomeration Are the arrangements for sustainable mobility, particularly soft modes (walking, cycling), configured to meet the needs of the population? Globally or selectively? Do soft modes offer a credible alternative to the car to take advantage of daily life resources? For everybody and where they are? To answer these questions, an analysis approach based on the concept of spatial ergonomics has been developed and implemented in a Geographic Information System. It takes into account, on the one hand, the availability and distribution of the potential of non-work resources (businesses, education, health, public services and leisure) and, on the other hand, a panel of criteria characterizing their access conditions (service, security, comfort, monetary cost). Although it is a first application of the principles of spatial ergonomics, the synthetic indicator, decomposed into its various components, and put in perspective with the socio-urban environments, has made it possible to reveal polarizing situations within the Strasbourg Eurométropole. The research is developed as part of an ANR RED project. © 2020 Universite des Sciences et Technologiques de Lille. All rights reserved.