Foreword

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our daily lives. Reduced mobility has increased the up-take of digitalisation, accelerating on-going trends such as teleworking and e-commerce, raising questions about the type of transport infrastructure we have in place today – as well as the one we will need in an uncertain future.

The promise of a new vaccine provides hope of a return to normality and some degree of clarity about how the future might look. Whilst many of the changes accelerated by the pandemic are likely to remain in the ‘new normal’, as firms have invested in new technologies and digital infrastructures, and consumers have shifted their habits, efficient transport infrastructure remains as important today, and indeed tomorrow, as it has always been.

Much of the new normal will continue to look like the old normal: many jobs will still require physical presence, in part because many (especially personal, medical, and recreational) services will never be able to be delivered digitally. The physical connectivity of regions, producers and consumers, will remain vital to the functioning of regional and global value chains. Transport remains a crucial determinant of productivity growth, ensuring that our regions and cities remain attractive places to live and work.

However, to be effective, transport infrastructure needs to ensure equal access to opportunities such as jobs and amenities. Even before the current pandemic it was already clear that disparities existed across and within regions, with affluent areas of cities doing better, for example. The crisis has only served to exacerbate these disparities whilst also raising awareness about the importance of social cohesion and sustainable economic activity.

Transport infrastructure is a necessary requirement for economic growth but it is not sufficient on its own to close economic gaps. It is a means for development but not an end in itself, and its benefits for economic success at regional and urban level depend on the access to opportunities that it can provide.

This report addresses disparities in transport access and discusses how interregional transport infrastructure development across OECD regions contributes to economic growth, the distribution of economic activity and wider socio-economic benefits. A companion report, OECD Urban Studies: Improving Transport Planning for Accessible Cities, extends the analysis and provides recommendations on how transport strategies, urban planning and effective governance mechanisms can be combined to ensure inclusive and sustainable benefits from urban transport infrastructure for all.

This report was developed as part of the Programme of Work and Budget of the Regional Development Policy Committee (RDPC), supporting its agenda to promote productivity, inclusion and resilience within and across regions and cities. The project benefited from the financial support from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) as part of a wider project on Rethinking urban and regional transport needs: improving access, safety and well-being through transport investment and policies.