Methodology for Assessment of Transport ImpactS of Social Exclusion (MATISSE)
Abstract
There is an increasing realisation across Europe that transport policies in the past have contributed to social exclusion. However, there exists a gap in dialogue between social, transport and environmental policy making and there is a danger that, in the pursuance of an environmentally sustainable transport agenda, important issues of social policy are neglected. The MATISSE project intends to contribute to the strategic goal of promoting participation in civil society, employment, and cultural life through improved access to means of mobility in cities and rural areas of Europe. The notion of social exclusion seems to substitute nowadays other related concepts such as poverty, disadvantage, inequality, underclass, deprivation and is characterised by; Poor access to services; lack of hope and polarised and fragmented communities. There are 3 dimensions of social exclusion, which are interrelated: economic dimension, social dimension, and political dimension. The key themes of MATISSE are; integrating social and transport policy; widening travel horizons; raising the profile of transport and social exclusion and raising minimum service standards.