We explore how perceived access to destinations supports broader human capabilities such as play, health, joy, and wonder. Drawing on Nussbaum’s (2011) framework, we surveyed over 1,400 residents of Melbourne, Australia, asking whether their neighbourhoods support their capabilities “to do or be” in 26 aspects of life. We then applied a structural equation model to examine the interrelationships between demographics, perceived access, observed access (walkability and transit), activity participation, and life satisfaction. The models show that being male, owning a vehicle, and having more friends nearby are associated with higher perceived access, while financial difficulties and disability predict lower perceived access. Although walkability and transit access have a small negative direct association with life satisfaction, they exert positive indirect and total effects through increased perceived access and activity participation. These results underscore that accessibility—particularly as it is perceived—plays a meaningful role in individual well-being.

Wildfire evacuations are expected to increase, including evacuations from fast-moving wildfires. Risk perception is an important element that determines evacuee decision-making. However, research has not looked at perceptions of safety while evacuees are on their evacuation route. This study addresses safety perceptions while evacuating, and specifically asks what personal, built environment, and evacuation factors contribute to feelings of safety during a wildfire evacuation? Using post-disaster survey data from the 2018 Camp Fire evacuation, we build an ordered logit model which estimates perceived safety as the outcome, accounting for several factors including evacuee proximity to the oncoming wildfire, socio-demographics, evacuation decision-making, and traffic conditions. The results show that later departure timing, shorter travel time, and pre-planning for evacuation routes and destinations to be associated with increased safety while on the evacuation route. These findings have important implications for emergency planning for wildfires, including fast-moving wildfires as well as evacuation modeling for these events. This research is a valuable first step in understanding perceived safety of evacuees while on their evacuation route and modeling evacuee decision-making while on their evacuation route.

In early 2025, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) presented new criteria for discretionary funding prioritization based on marriage rates, birth rates, and compliance with Federal immigration policy. This policy diverges from the previous equity and justice-focused prioritization. We analyze how the new DOT policy will affect discretionary transportation spending priorities across geography, sociodemographics, transportation burdens and barriers, and voting lines. The new 2025 DOT policy shifts funding priorities towards white, Trump-voting areas and away from Black, Latino, and lower-resourced populations and those experiencing higher travel burdens and barriers.