Enrica Papa (Project Coordinator) & Martha Sainsbury Research 2025

COMMON_ACCESS: COMMONing ACCESSibility in urban outskirts and beyond

Funded by Driving Urban Transitions Partnership

COMMON_ACCESS is a €1.5 million project funded by Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) and led by the University of Westminster. 

Existing approaches often overlook the social and community-based aspects essential to designing and delivering effective mobility and accessibility solutions in urban peripheries. COMMON_ACCESS introduces a renewed emphasis on the social dimensions of accessibility for both people and freight in peri-urban contexts, areas where applying the principles of the 15-minute city remain particularly challenging. 

COMMON_ACCESS looks to addresses this gap by exploring community-led practices such as shared electric bikes, cargo bikes, cars and vans, as well as community-managed digital platforms and shared social, cultural and care services. These initiatives aim to foster more inclusive connected, and resilient neighbourhoods beyond dense urban cores.

Using a mixed-method, transdisciplinary approach that builds on the 15-minute city concept, the project adapts its principles for the unique spatial and social realities of urban outskirts. Through spatial analysis, participatory design and policy evaluation, COMMON_ACCESS investigates how shared mobility and service models can enhance proximity and accessibility in peripheral areas.

Delivered by a European partnership of 18 universities, municipalities, SMEs and NGOs who are working collaboratively, the project intends to co-create inclusive, place-based solutions. By foregrounding community agency and social infrastructure, COMMON_ACCESS seeks to extend the benefits of the 15-minute city to those often left at its margins.