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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
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. 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).
    2. 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).
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. Sipone, Silvia & Rodríguez, Andrés & Delgado-Lindeman, Maira & Moura, José Luis, 2025. "Sustainable mobility education through escape rooms: A gender perspective," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    9. 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).

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