ABSTRACT
Inequality in terms of access to opportunities and services is a traditional disadvantage for many rural areas, and a question directly associated with quality of life, rural well-being and social justice. Mobility constitutes the most substantive way to rebalance these inequalities, and within rural planning, a wide-ranging debate has arisen around its provision as a service and solution. We review these mobility approaches, their evolution towards more complex conceptualisations of accessibility and influence on social relations. The fundamental role played by automobility in the social sustainability of rural areas is then explored, in the way it may contribute to other inequalities and mobility deprivation, for example. Finally, we conclude by considering the challenges and opportunities involved in three major processes of rural transformation for rural accessibility planning: population ageing, the impact of new communication and information technologies, and the transition towards a new kind of mobility (i.e. shared, autonomous, collaborative and post-carbon).
