Addressing Critical Challenges of Accessibility and Mobility in Peripheral Areas Toward Sustainable Spatial Development and Infrastructure Provision

Abstract

European borderlands characteristics are determined by the interaction of differences in geography along with various conflicts in demographic and socio-economic factors. These regions are more isolated than the other areas due to the barriers that restrain the opportunity to interact with cross-border areas. Most cases of border areas are isolated in their own geography. During the last decade, the European Union has designed and implemented several integration procedures to accelerate the transform process of borderlands from primarily peripheral regions into interesting spots for sustainability growth. Addressing accessibility and mobility issues in peripheral regions requires a comprehensive view of the factors and indicators at multiple scales and levels. Mobility-oriented accessibility planning approaches miss some inherent aspects related to spatial and socio-economic circumstances. When moving from theory to practice, analyzing how mobility is addressed by current strategies has resulted in emerging some challenges and inconsistencies in transport systems and infrastructure.