Towards accessibility planning 3.0 in Portugal (and elsewhere): a manifesto for change inspired by children’s studies

Abstract

: There is consensus in Portugal and elsewhere that accessibility planning constitutes a suitable replacement for conventional transport planning only when it relies on technocratic processes informed by sophisticated planning support tools fed by advanced accessibility metrics. This article identifies the historical roots of this consensus and assesses it as an undesirable development. After this point of departure, and through empirical research with children conducted in Portugal, the article offers constructive insights into how accessibility planning might be rescued from the technocratic rule both in substantive and processual terms. These insights entail two key dimensions. The first concerns how children would shape the urban environments they inhabit to move away from car-based mobility and toward child-friendly accessibilities. The second concerns how children’s voices can be integrated into accessibility planning practices so that the prevailing technocratic context can be challenged. The insights gathered are promising, even though future steps should be carefully considered so that children’s abilities to navigate both in urban and participatory environments can be gradually cultivated despite the highly protective cultural norms en vogue.