ABSTRACT
A major contemporary policy issue in Sweden as in other countries is the emerging conflict between the mobility of commodities and people and environmental sustainability. A major parliamentary government investigation has been performed in Sweden about sustainable transport. It has involved a number of research projects, among others the current one. The causal relationships between societal changes and transport and communications policy, defined in accordance with the best available scientific and experience-based knowledge, result in conditions of society relevant for the assessment of environmental quality. Labour mobility will have a direct impact on transport and communications, and on urban development. The modern life-style seems to be one of combining a relatively stable residence with mobility to reach supplies of both jobs, service outlets, and recreational and cultural amenities. There is a dominant role of private cars in supporting the individual mobility in Sweden as in almost all high-mobility countries.
