Putting accessibility in place: A relational reading of accessibility in policies for transit-oriented development

•Current conceptualization of accessibility is dependent on Euclidean space.•Based on relational ontology, the paper re-conceptualizes accessibility.•Arguments for improved accessibility and time-space compression are questioned.•Simplified arguments for densification are revealed.•A regional Swedish policy for transit-oriented development (TOD) is examined.

In order to facilitate sustainable development, a shift from mobility-based to accessibility-based planning has been suggested. However, if we rely on the modern conceptualisation of accessibility, such a shift would have limited results. As an alternative, this paper proposes a relational reading of accessibility, which questions the divide between mobility and place upon which the modern definition is based. It argues that the accessibility of a place is characterised by a specific coordination of presences and absences that depends as much on boundaries and exclusions as on mobility. If accessibility changes, so does the place. This interpretation makes accessibility a matter of priorities and provides a critical perspective on arguments for time-space compressions and progress. This is illustrated here using the example of a regional strategy for transit-oriented development in Sweden (Region Scania). For that case, the discourse on accessibility revealed simplified arguments for densification, progress and metropolitan ideals, contradicting the initial inclusive intentions of the strategy. Thus, there is a need to put accessibility in place so that a shift to accessibility-based planning facilitates a move towards social and environmental sustainability.