ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Cities
Sec. Urban Transportation Systems and Mobility
This article is part of the Research TopicIntersecting Paths: Climate Resilience and Transport Justice in Urban Mobility SystemsView all articles
Car Dependence in England and Wales: Spatial Inequalities and Implications for a Just Transition
Provisionally accepted
- 1Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- 2Arup Group Ltd, London, United Kingdom
- 3Universitat Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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This paper explores the nuances of car dependence in England and Wales by identifying four distinct archetypes that span structural and conscious forms. Employing the 2011 England and Wales Census, archetype prevalence is mapped across the study area at the LSOA level, and a demographic analysis is performed. We find that, while dependence exists across the study area, structural dependence is found more in rural areas, particularly the east coast of England and Wales, while conscious dependence is more prevalent in and around urban centres. The demographic makeup of each archetype differs significantly, with disability, socio-economic class, and ethnicity arising as notable significant indicators. This work highlights that an equitable transition to a sustainable transport system requires geographically and demographically specific policies tailored to the unique needs of each archetype. This transition away from car dependence, especially internal combustion engine vehicles, is imperative for a just and climate-resilient transport system.
Keywords: Car dependence, Spatial inequality, Transport policy, Just Transition, sustainable mobility
Received: 06 Oct 2025; Accepted: 28 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wood, Dennett, Casey and Suel. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Maria Wood
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