Issues regarding mobility and access are increasingly recognized as urgent challenges in both research and public policy. But to truly understand the journeys people make – or fail to make – we must look beyond the physical movement to the web of connections that shapes it.

In this new Think Piece commissioned by the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF), authors Gina Porter and Lanoi Maloiy present ”relationality” as a vital conceptual tool for understanding transport practices. Focusing particularly on low-income urban contexts in the Global South, they argue that “thinking relationally” allows us to see the complex interplay between people, technology, and places that dictates everyday life.

As a ”Think Piece,” this publication offers a space for critical reflection beyond the constraints of a traditional scientific paper. It aims to stimulate dialogue among researchers, NGOs, and policymakers, offering new approaches to developing sustainable and equitable mobility systems.