IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i14p7908-d594815.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mobility Trends before and after the Pandemic Outbreak: Analyzing the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona through the Lens of Equality and Sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Lucía Mejía-Dorantes

    (Independent Consultant, 76185 Karlsruhe, Germany)

  • Lídia Montero

    (Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Campus Nord, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Jaume Barceló

    (Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Campus Nord, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), 08034 Barcelona, Spain)

Abstract

The spatial arrangement of a metropolis is of utmost importance to carry out daily activities, which are constrained by space and time. Accessibility is not only shaped by the spatial and temporal dimension, but it is also defined by individual characteristics, such as gender, impairments, or socioeconomic characteristics of the citizens living or commuting in this area. This study analyzes mobility trends and patterns in the metropolitan area of Barcelona before and after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, with special emphasis on gender and equality. The study draws on multiple sources of information; however, two main datasets are analyzed: two traditional travel surveys from the transport metropolitan area of Barcelona and two coming from smartphone data. The results show that gender plays a relevant role when analyzing mobility patterns, as already highlighted in other studies, but, after the pandemic outbreak, some population groups were more likely to change their mobility patterns, for example, highly educated population groups and those with higher income. This study also highlights that e-activities may shape new mobility patterns and living conditions for some population segments, but some activities cannot be replaced by IT technologies. For all these reasons, city and transport planning should foster sustainable development policies, which will provide the maximum benefit for society.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucía Mejía-Dorantes & Lídia Montero & Jaume Barceló, 2021. "Mobility Trends before and after the Pandemic Outbreak: Analyzing the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona through the Lens of Equality and Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-23, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:14:p:7908-:d:594815
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/14/7908/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/14/7908/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jerònia Cubells & Oriol Marquet & Carme Miralles-Guasch, 2020. "Gender and Age Differences in Metropolitan Car Use. Recent Gender Gap Trends in Private Transport," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-14, September.
    2. Michael Bamberger & Jerry Lebo & Kenneth Gwilliam & Colin Gannon, 1999. "Gender and Transport : A Rationale for Action," World Bank Publications - Reports 11504, The World Bank Group.
    3. Lee, Jean N. & Mahmud, Mahreen & Morduch, Jonathan & Ravindran, Saravana & Shonchoy, Abu S., 2021. "Migration, externalities, and the diffusion of COVID-19 in South Asia☆," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    4. Marquet, Oriol & Miralles-Guasch, Carme, 2014. "Walking short distances. The socioeconomic drivers for the use of proximity in everyday mobility in Barcelona," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 210-222.
    5. Jirón, Paola & Carrasco, Juan-Antonio & Rebolledo, Marcela, 2020. "Observing gendered interdependent mobility barriers using an ethnographic and time use approach," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 204-214.
    6. Panayotis Christidis & Aris Christodoulou & Elena Navajas-Cawood & Biagio Ciuffo, 2021. "The Post-Pandemic Recovery of Transport Activity: Emerging Mobility Patterns and Repercussions on Future Evolution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, June.
    7. Riccardo Ceccato & Riccardo Rossi & Massimiliano Gastaldi, 2021. "Travel Demand Prediction during COVID-19 Pandemic: Educational and Working Trips at the University of Padova," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-20, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Albalate & Xavier Fageda, 2022. ""Have Low Emission Zones slowed urban traffic recovery after Covid-19?"," IREA Working Papers 202222, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Dec 2022.
    2. Ioannis Vardopoulos & Maria Papoui-Evangelou & Bogdana Nosova & Luca Salvati, 2023. "Smart ‘Tourist Cities’ Revisited: Culture-Led Urban Sustainability and the Global Real Estate Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-26, February.
    3. Thulin, Eva & Vilhelmson, Bertil & Brundin, Louise, 2023. "Telework after confinement: Interrogating the spatiotemporalities of home-based work life," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    4. Mejía-Dorantes, Lucía & Montero, Lídia & Barceló, Jaume, 2025. "Discussing teleworking and travel implications in Barcelona from a gender perspective," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    5. Cano-Leiva, José & Gomez, Juan & Alves, Guilherme F. & Manuel Vassallo, José, 2024. "How has COVID-19 changed individuals’ e-commerce and shopping mobility habits? Evidence from Madrid Region," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    6. Youhai Lu & Peixue Liu & Min Zhuang & Yihan Cao, 2025. "Estimating Distance Equivalence for Sustainable Mobility Management: Evidence from China’s “Stay-in-Place” Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-17, September.
    7. Lídia Montero & Lucía Mejía-Dorantes & Jaume Barceló, 2023. "Applying Data Analytics to Analyze Activity Sequences for an Assessment of Fragmentation in Daily Travel Patterns: A Case Study of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-22, September.
    8. Stokenberga,Aiga & Ivarsson Molina,Linda Ellin Maria & Fulponi,Juan Ignacio, 2023. "The COVID-19 Mark on Urban Mobility : A Tale of Two Cities’ Journey to Recovery," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10484, The World Bank.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Upasak Das & Rupayan Pal & Udayan Rathore & Bibhas Saha, 2023. "Rein in pandemic by pricing vaccine: Does social trust matter?," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2023-008, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.
    2. Zhang, Yushan & Kasraian, Dena & van Wesemael, Pieter, 2025. "E-bike ownership and use determinants and their trends in the Netherlands," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    3. Parnell, Katie J., 2025. "The gender data gap in e-micromobility research: A systematic review of gender reporting," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    4. Marquet, Oriol & Miralles-Guasch, Carme, 2015. "Neighbourhood vitality and physical activity among the elderly: The role of walkable environments on active ageing in Barcelona, Spain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 24-30.
    5. Liu, Yang & Shen, Ruolan & He, Mingwei & Li, Xuefeng & Shi, Zhuangbin, 2025. "Gender differences in commuting travel mode choices among young adults: A spatial heterogeneity perspective," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    6. Rosário Macário & Vasco Reis, 2022. "Transport Systems for Sustainability: Policy, Planning and Exploitation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-4, February.
    7. Simone Schotte & Michael Danquah & Robert Darko Osei & Kunal Sen, 2023. "The Labour Market Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns: Evidence from Ghana," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 32(Supplemen), pages 10-33.
    8. Álvarez-Antelo, David & Lauer, Arthur & Capellán-Pérez, Íñigo, 2024. "Exploring the potential of a novel passenger transport model to study the decarbonization of the transport sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    9. Xiaoqian Sun & Sebastian Wandelt & Hartmut Fricke & Judith Rosenow, 2021. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Air Transportation Network in the United States, Europe, and China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-11, August.
    10. Neves, Carlos Eduardo Teixeira & da Silva, Alan Ricardo & Arruda, Fabiana Serra de, 2021. "Exploring the link between built environment and walking choice in São Paulo city, Brazil," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    11. Hensher, David A. & Wei, Edward & Liu, Wen & Balbontin, Camila, 2024. "Profiling future passenger transport initiatives to identify the growing role of active and micro-mobility modes," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    12. Arlie Adkins & Carrie Makarewicz & Michele Scanze & Maia Ingram & Gretchen Luhr, 2017. "Contextualizing Walkability: Do Relationships Between Built Environments and Walking Vary by Socioeconomic Context?," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 83(3), pages 296-314, July.
    13. Aditya Mahatidanar Hidayat & Kasem Choocharukul, 2023. "Passengers’ Intentions to Use Public Transport during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Bangkok and Jakarta," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-19, March.
    14. Mohammad Abdul Malek & Hoa Thi Truong & Tetsushi Sonobe, 2025. "COVID-19, food insecurity and panic buying behavior: Evidence from rural Bangladesh," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 17(1), pages 101-125, February.
    15. Haghani, Milad & Bliemer, Michiel C.J. & de Bekker-Grob, Esther W., 2022. "Applications of discrete choice experiments in COVID-19 research: Disparity in survey qualities between health and transport fields," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    16. Enrico Porfido & Cynthia Pérez & Pablo Martínez & Beatriz Puértolas-Gracia & Aida Ribera & Laura Mónica Pérez, 2025. "Assessing Older Adults’ Walkability in the Surroundings of Primary Care Centers: A Three-Case Study from Barcelona," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-20, July.
    17. Gascon, Mireia & Marquet, Oriol & Gràcia-Lavedan, Esther & Ambròs, Albert & Götschi, Thomas & Nazelle, Audrey de & Panis, Luc Int & Gerike, Regine & Brand, Christian & Dons, Evi & Eriksson, Ulf & Iaco, 2020. "What explains public transport use? Evidence from seven European cities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 362-374.
    18. Clauss, Thomas & Döppe, Sebastian, 2016. "Why do urban travelers select multimodal travel options: A repertory grid analysis," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 93-116.
    19. Barboza, Matheus H.C. & Giannotti, Mariana & Grigolon, Anna B. & Geurs, Karst T., 2024. "A comparative analysis of leisure accessibility and equity impacts using location-based and space–time accessibility metrics," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    20. Kębłowski, Wojciech & Dobruszkes, Frédéric & Boussauw, Kobe, 2022. "Moving past sustainable transport studies: Towards a critical perspective on urban transport," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 74-83.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:14:p:7908-:d:594815. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.