Mobility Isn’t Enough, We Need Better Accessibility

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Mobility Isn’t Enough, We Need Better Accessibility

Interview with Professor David Levinson

David M Levinson ⁂

Aug 13, 2025

Transcript

Prof. David Levinson joined the University of Sydney from the University of Minnesota in 2017 as Foundation Professor in Transport Engineering. He conducts research on Accessibility, Transport Economics, Transport Network Evolution, and Transport and Land Use Interaction. He is the Founding Editor of the Journal of Transport and Land Use and of Findings. He has authored several books including: The Transportation Experience, Planning for Place and Plexus, The 30-Minute City, A Political Economy of Access, Elements of Access, and The End of Traffic and the Future of Access.

What you’ll learn:

The meaning of accessibility. How it differs from mobility, how to measure it, and why it should be the core goal of transport planning.
How land use and transport are inseparable. And why treating them as separate problems leads to inefficiencies and missed opportunities.
The accessibility trade-offs of major projects and policy. How initiatives create winners and losers in access, and what that reveals about policy priorities.
Why speed isn’t everything. Reaching more destinations versus moving faster, and how this shapes city design and property values.
How small design choices shape behaviour. Traffic signal timings can encourage or discourage walking, cycling, or driving.

Quotes:

"We do need more housing, but we also need to put the housing in the right place. Otherwise, we're just creating more transport crisis."

"Accessibility is a real thing: how many things can I reach at a given time by a given mode?"

"Mobility is how fast you move. Accessibility is how many places you can reach."

"If you never make policymakers think beyond 'how close is the nearest bus stop', they'll misunderstand the problem."

"We need to teach them that accessibility is the problem—and it can be improved by how we design the system and place future activities."

Timestamps

00:00:45 – Introduction & Academic Background
David Levinson shares his role at the University of Sydney, involvement with ITLS, and autonomous vehicle research.

00:03:36 – Interlinking Land Use & Transport
Why policymakers often treat them separately, and the consequences of this disconnect.

00:06:42 – Defining Accessibility
Explanation of what accessibility means, how it’s measured, and why it’s more than just proximity to transit stops.

00:09:34 – From Mobility to Accessibility
Why speed isn’t the ultimate goal, and how “reach” influences value and urban planning.

00:13:23 – Public & Policymaker Understanding
Why accessibility is often misunderstood and how to communicate it effectively.