Within contemporary urban planning debates, the publicness of urban and territorial spaces – understood as the coexistence of diverse social groups in the same environment, enabling practices of interaction, exchange, and care – emerges as a key element in the construction of inclusive cities and regions (Donolo, 2014). In this perspective, accessibility, more than mobility, becomes a crucial interpretive lens through which to address territorial inequalities, as public transport services may be reconfigured from mere technical supports into moving social spaces. While the mobility paradigm has historically focused on speed and congestion reduction, the accessibility paradigm emphasizes the equitable distribution of territorial opportunities, accounting for spatial, economic, and social factors (Martens, 2017; Sheller, 2018), and is regarded as a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for achieving fairer transport policies and redistributive opportunities that improve quality of life (Wachs & Kumagai, 1973). Although most studies, policies, and resources focus on large cities and metropolitan areas, the most complex challenge arises in peripheral and fragmented territories, particularly in inner areas (Bosworth et al., 2020; Camarero & Oliva, 2019), where the issue is not limited to the technological efficiency of future mobility systems but extends to their broader social, economic, and environmental sustainability (Vitale Brovarone et al., 2021). Here, ensuring equitable access to territorial opportunities becomes essential to fostering more inclusive growth and preventing marginalization in an increasingly polarized Europe, caught between competitiveness and regional cohesion (Levine, 2020). In such contexts, limited accessibility – understood as a multidimensional condition shaped by the spatial distribution of activities, individual capacities, and available resources (Moseley, 1979) – often results in hyper-mobility, induced by car dependency (Bosworth et al., 2020), with critical environmental and social consequences, especially for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, youth, women, and migrants (Vitale Brovarone et al., 2022). Promoting public transport in low-density areas, despite the challenges, should remain a priority of territorial agendas and be closely linked to the transition towards a genuinely sustainable mobility paradigm (Sheller, 2018; Martens, 2017). In these contexts, where a significant share of the European and Italian population still resides, the tension between accessibility and marginality is particularly acute (Camarero & Oliva, 2019): demographic fragility, scarce services, and dependence on private cars heighten risks of isolation and exclusion, undermining social cohesion and well-being. Italian inner areas, such as the Basso Ferrarese – comprising seven municipalities with 54,000 inhabitants – represent this tension. Despite the National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI) highlighting the need for integrated policies to counter demographic decline and improve access to essential services (Barca et al., 2014), the progressive concentration of resources according to demographic density has generated exclusionary effects, particularly for those without private vehicles, restricting freedom of movement and exacerbating risks of social isolation (Clark et al., 2020; Ferdman, 2021). The decisive challenge lies in combining technological innovation with broader social and economic sustainability, ensuring equitable access to opportunities and fostering inclusive forms of public transport (Sheller, 2018; Kotef, 2015). At the same time, it is necessary to reflect on the strategic role of local public transport as an infrastructure that guarantees the right to mobility (Martens, 2017; Harvey, 1973). Transport agencies, for their supra-local mandate, can act as key actors in coordinating vast and complex territories, linking local needs with wider-area visions, and experimenting with innovative models that go beyond traditional solutions. The experience of AMI Ferrara, operating in the Basso Ferrarese Inner Area, illustrates this potential: alongside managing services, the agency promotes monitoring, research, and experimentation in collaboration with the university, paving the way for flexible and adaptive models of transport. These efforts demonstrate how public transport can evolve into an infrastructure of inclusion, where accessibility is affirmed as a public good and a necessary condition for more equitable and sustainable territorial futures.
Public Transport in Low-Density Territories: A Preliminary Study of the Taxibus Service in the Basso Ferrarese Inner Area
Rondina Caterina
Primo
2026
Abstract
Within contemporary urban planning debates, the publicness of urban and territorial spaces – understood as the coexistence of diverse social groups in the same environment, enabling practices of interaction, exchange, and care – emerges as a key element in the construction of inclusive cities and regions (Donolo, 2014). In this perspective, accessibility, more than mobility, becomes a crucial interpretive lens through which to address territorial inequalities, as public transport services may be reconfigured from mere technical supports into moving social spaces. While the mobility paradigm has historically focused on speed and congestion reduction, the accessibility paradigm emphasizes the equitable distribution of territorial opportunities, accounting for spatial, economic, and social factors (Martens, 2017; Sheller, 2018), and is regarded as a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for achieving fairer transport policies and redistributive opportunities that improve quality of life (Wachs & Kumagai, 1973). Although most studies, policies, and resources focus on large cities and metropolitan areas, the most complex challenge arises in peripheral and fragmented territories, particularly in inner areas (Bosworth et al., 2020; Camarero & Oliva, 2019), where the issue is not limited to the technological efficiency of future mobility systems but extends to their broader social, economic, and environmental sustainability (Vitale Brovarone et al., 2021). Here, ensuring equitable access to territorial opportunities becomes essential to fostering more inclusive growth and preventing marginalization in an increasingly polarized Europe, caught between competitiveness and regional cohesion (Levine, 2020). In such contexts, limited accessibility – understood as a multidimensional condition shaped by the spatial distribution of activities, individual capacities, and available resources (Moseley, 1979) – often results in hyper-mobility, induced by car dependency (Bosworth et al., 2020), with critical environmental and social consequences, especially for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, youth, women, and migrants (Vitale Brovarone et al., 2022). Promoting public transport in low-density areas, despite the challenges, should remain a priority of territorial agendas and be closely linked to the transition towards a genuinely sustainable mobility paradigm (Sheller, 2018; Martens, 2017). In these contexts, where a significant share of the European and Italian population still resides, the tension between accessibility and marginality is particularly acute (Camarero & Oliva, 2019): demographic fragility, scarce services, and dependence on private cars heighten risks of isolation and exclusion, undermining social cohesion and well-being. Italian inner areas, such as the Basso Ferrarese – comprising seven municipalities with 54,000 inhabitants – represent this tension. Despite the National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI) highlighting the need for integrated policies to counter demographic decline and improve access to essential services (Barca et al., 2014), the progressive concentration of resources according to demographic density has generated exclusionary effects, particularly for those without private vehicles, restricting freedom of movement and exacerbating risks of social isolation (Clark et al., 2020; Ferdman, 2021). The decisive challenge lies in combining technological innovation with broader social and economic sustainability, ensuring equitable access to opportunities and fostering inclusive forms of public transport (Sheller, 2018; Kotef, 2015). At the same time, it is necessary to reflect on the strategic role of local public transport as an infrastructure that guarantees the right to mobility (Martens, 2017; Harvey, 1973). Transport agencies, for their supra-local mandate, can act as key actors in coordinating vast and complex territories, linking local needs with wider-area visions, and experimenting with innovative models that go beyond traditional solutions. The experience of AMI Ferrara, operating in the Basso Ferrarese Inner Area, illustrates this potential: alongside managing services, the agency promotes monitoring, research, and experimentation in collaboration with the university, paving the way for flexible and adaptive models of transport. These efforts demonstrate how public transport can evolve into an infrastructure of inclusion, where accessibility is affirmed as a public good and a necessary condition for more equitable and sustainable territorial futures.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
