Transport and Social Disadvantage in Western Sydney: A Partnership Research Project

Transport is an important contributor to the well being of individuals and communities because it is a means by which people can access work, education, shopping, health services, as well as social, cultural and recreational activities and keep connected with family and friends. However, the relationships between transport, social status and residential location in the Australian urban context have been underdeveloped in research and policy, (Dodson et al., 2004) in part because economic and environmental concerns have taken precedence. In particular, there is only limited research in Australia, into the role that transport plays in the spatial distribution of social exclusion in cities. This report presents the findings from a study investigating the factors that influence the relationships between transport and social exclusion, as evidenced in the Western Sydney region of the Sydney urban area.