Understanding the Mobility of Care in Urban Transportation

Income plays a critical role in moderating this gender gap. As household income increases, the division of care mobility becomes more equitable:

• Low Income ($\le \text{\textdollar}60,000$): Women make 50% more care trips than men.
• High Income ($\ge \text{\textdollar}150,000$): The gap narrows to just 22%.

Furthermore, the presence of children acts as a massive multiplier for care mobility. For individuals without children, care trips account for about 20% of daily mobility; for those with at least one child, that number jumps to approximately 42%.

Transportation Modes and Accessibility

The way people move for care differs significantly from the way they move for work. Care trips are generally shorter in distance, which theoretically offers opportunities for sustainable modes like walking or cycling. However, the reality is more complex:

• Car and Walking: These are the most common modes for care.
• Public Transit: While women are more likely to use transit for care than men, transit use for care decreases as income rises.
• Cycling: Men are more likely to use bicycles for care trips.

This highlights a tension between mobility (the speed/ease of moving vehicles) and accessibility (the ability to actually reach destinations). A city might have high mobility via highways, but if those highways bypass local grocery stores or schools, the "accessibility" for a parent performing care work is actually very low.

Urban Planning: The 15-Minute City and Equitable Infrastructure

To address the needs of care workers, urban planners are increasingly looking toward "accessibility-oriented" design rather than just "mobility-oriented" design.

One radical approach is the 15-Minute City, where essential services—work, healthcare, education, and shopping—are all reachable within a 15-minute walk or cycle from home. This model aims to reduce car dependence and reclaim public space from automobiles.

However, planning must also address equitable safety infrastructure. Research shows that in many communities, particularly Black and Latinx neighborhoods, a lack of safe bike lanes or sidewalks forces residents to break traffic rules to remain safe, which can lead to predatory enforcement and traffic stops.

Critical Concept: True urban viability requires more than just density; it requires "amenities" and "permeability"—the ability for people to move easily through a neighborhood to reach diverse services.

Ultimately, if transportation systems only plan for the "9-to-5" commuter, they fail the millions of people—disproportionately women, low-income earners, and parents—whose lives are built around the essential, non-stop movement of care.