In this module, we cover different ways of looking at
transport, travel and mobility, and explore why geographers are among the best
placed of all professionals to address the grand challenges posed by the way
societies move around.
We identify where people, goods and information go, and
explain when, how and why they go there. We show that mobility underpins our
economies but at the same time hinders economic growth through congestion; that
it underpins our social activities but creates problems of exclusion; and that
despite great strides towards cleaning up our vehicles, transport accounts for
nearly a third of all global carbon dioxide emissions.
In this context, we go on to look at the significance of a
range of everyday experiences of being ‘on the move’. The reasons why and how people
move—via private car rather than public transport, for example—can be understood
really effectively by examining what people do and feel during the time they
spend travelling. Such a focus, in turn, presents a useful starting point from
which to promote and plan for more sustainable travel.
Finally, we consider the mobility of specific groups of people and things. The often-competing discourses put forward by politicians and the media regarding the movement of people, products and services, resources and pollution, and ideas and beliefs have profound implications for how people relate to each other. This also affects what we think about different cultures, who has the right to be in particular places, and who should and should not belong in them.
In short, the world is on the move, and in this module, you’ll get to grips with the huge challenges associated with our apparently insatiable appetite for mobility.
