Transport-induced gentrification, perceived accessibility, and mobility practices: What happens to those who stay in their communities?

Transport-induced gentrification (TIG) has received growing scholarly attention, often focusing on displaced groups. Much less is known about the experiences of low-income incumbents who remain in place, particularly in unequal cities as the ones in the Global South. This paper addresses this gap, investigating if TIG generates reliance on motorized modes due to the social exclusion of low-income incumbents. We argue that urban reshaping near newly implemented transport infrastructures and services may isolate low-income communities as nearby opportunities become less affordable, prompting incumbents to adapt their mobility practices, reshaping where and how they travel to engage in out-of-home activities. Using perceived accessibility as an analytical lens, we applied a qualitative approach named process tracing method in an informal settlement impacted by a Light Rail Transit system in Fortaleza, Brazil. Evidence was collected through 29 semi-structured interviews and assessed using process tracing tests. Our findings suggest that while incumbents benefit from the proximity to new supermarkets, they feel increasingly excluded from nearby leisure and commercial opportunities. Consequently, many rely on motorized modes and on-demand transport services to reach more distant destinations. These findings contribute to the transportation research agenda by framing TIG as a distinct type of Transport-related Social Exclusion and demonstrate how urban reshaping near transit stations may undermine perceived accessibility for low-income incumbents, even when objective accessibility appears to improve.