Key takeaway from the JRC Workshop on “Transport Poverty & Accessibility” (Seville, 10–11 June 2026):

Transport poverty is not just about lacking transport - it is about limited access to opportunities (jobs, services, daily life) and reduced participation in society. The discussions highlighted an important shift: From focusing only on transport systems to improving overall accessibility. 

At the same time, key challenges remain: while measuring and modelling accessibility is essential (“you can’t improve what you don’t measure”), concrete actions are needed to actually reduce transport poverty.

Main messages:

• The issue affects more people than expected

• It differs strongly between urban and rural areas

• Better data and measurement are essential for effective policy

From our team, Lea S. Zuckriegl joined the workshop to present work on (dis-)comfort and its influence on walking accessibility. She shared insights from qualitative interviews and the development of the Comfort-based Accessibility Tool (CAT) within the InclusiveSpaces project. Feel free to explore the tool: CAT – Home

Many thanks to the organizers from the Joint Research Centre (C6) of the European Commission. We gained valuable insights and take them back to Munich.

Pictures: TUM / Zuckriegl (2026)