Same same but different: mobility and spatial justice in Tallinn and Bangkok

This chapter of the 'Same same but different' series by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the disparities in mobility and spatial justice in Tallinn and Bangkok, contrasting the experiences of different urban users and the impact of infrastructure and technology on accessibility.

• In Tallinn, urban planning remains heavily car-oriented, resulting in a system where cars move with ease while pedestrians and cyclists face fragmented routes and safety risks. While shared e-mobility (e-bikes, e-scooters, e-mopeds) provides low-carbon flexibility, its benefits are limited to young, digitally literate, and physically able users with smartphones and online banking, creating new conflicts such as sidewalk clutter and unregulated riding.
• Bangkok's mobility is characterized by a polycentric layout where main roads connect to small connector streets (sois) that often act as bottlenecks. The city suffers from high road traffic fatalities, inadequate sidewalks, and limited public transport coverage, which maintains the dominance of cars and causes severe congestion. Bicycle rental initiatives have been unsuccessful due to poor station placement near highways and a lack of supporting infrastructure.
• Across both Tallinn and Bangkok, mobility is unequally distributed, and even when transit is free, users face hidden costs related to safety, pollution, weather exposure, and time.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2026). Same same but different: mobility and spatial justice in Tallinn and Bangkok. https://www.sei.org/features/mobility-power-and-access/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Same same but different: mobility and spatial justice in Tallinn and Bangkok. 2026. https://www.sei.org/features/mobility-power-and-access/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Same same but different: mobility and spatial justice in Tallinn and Bangkok |date=27 March 2026 |url=https://www.sei.org/features/mobility-power-and-access/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2026same, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Same same but different: mobility and spatial justice in Tallinn and Bangkok}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/features/mobility-power-and-access/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }