Policy Brief: Towards Mobility Justice
About #
When Cape Town’s minibus taxis went on strike in 2023, the city ground to a halt. Nearly 300,000 learners missed school, workers lost wages, and the fragility of South Africa’s transport system was laid bare. In this policy brief, Dr. Ruth Joan Nelson reveals how Cape Town’s transport crisis is fundamentally a justice crisis, where your postcode determines your access to opportunity. Drawing on cutting-edge spatial modeling and extensive stakeholder engagement, Nelson maps four possible futures for the city’s mobility and shows which pathways lead toward equity.
From reconciling decades of mistrust between government and taxi operators to unlocking the transformative potential of cycling infrastructure, this brief offers three concrete recommendations that municipal leaders can implement today. Nelson demonstrates that with political will and community partnership, Cape Town can move from transport segregation to mobility justice. Essential reading for urban planners, policymakers, and anyone committed to building more equitable cities.
The Author #
Dr. Ruth Joan Nelson is a leading expert in spatial data science and urban equity, with degrees from Nelson Mandela University, UCL, and TU Delft. She specialises in evidence-based planning solutions that harness digital technologies for social justice.
View and Download the Policy Brief #
📄 View / Download Policy Brief
Acknowledgements #
This policy brief would not have been possible without the support of many different organisations and people:
- The TU Delft Global Initiative aided in the funding of stakeholder engagement in Cape Town, South Africa and this policy brief.
- Professor Mark Zuidgeest, at the University of Cape Town shared GTFS transportation data which was used in this study.
- Young Urbanists South Africa and, particularly Roland Postma, supported the workshop and stakeholder engagement in Cape Town.
- These recommendations would not have been possible without the time given by the participants in the workshop and interviews.
