Sufficient access? Activity participation, perceived accessibility and transport-related social exclusion across spatial contexts

Abstract Promoting social inclusion through facilitating the participation in social and economic activities is a central goal of land-use and transport planning. This study examines the relationship between activity participation and experiences of transport-related social exclusion across different spatial accessibility levels in the Netherlands. Using perceived accessibility as an indicator of the benefits derived from spatial opportunities, this paper reveals a weak and non-linear connection between activity participation and satisfaction with accessibility, which becomes negligible at higher participation levels. Even when individuals have low engagement levels, they often report high perceived accessibility, indicating voluntary non-participation. In rural areas with limited local opportunities, constrained participation is more prominent, especially for those with limited mobility options. The weak correlations between participation and experienced benefits from accessibility across diverse spatial contexts emphasize the importance of considering perceived accessibility alongside spatial and activity data in normative debates on determining the sufficiency of accessibility.