ABSTRACT
Mobility can be defined as the capacity to overcome distance in space. Although mobility is a political priority, mobility on its own is perceived as a means rather than a goal, since mobility restrictions limit accessibility in almost all major areas of life: physical activity, social life, education, work, cultural life and participatory democracy. The concept of universal design is briefly introduced in the following section in view of ideological and instrumental targets and traditional policy measures in the transport sector. Sustainability and universal design may lead to congruent mobility concerns, as transport modes requiring a minimum of natural resources and producing little pollution usually demand fewer personal resources for attainment and use. While an anti-discrimination act is still under consideration in Norway, an action plan for universal design involves 15 of the 17 governmental departments. In the universal design strategy, user involvement is stressed at all stages of the planning process.
