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Transport studies and planning have traditionally considered mobility as a rational activity, necessitated by external factors and shaped by economic considerations. This has led to a focus on quantitative criteria as explanatory factors and left other aspects such as the travellers’ perception of mobility and the links between mobility and other parts of life largely unexplored. But studies from cultural and social sciences show that mobility has wider implications, for instance, by serving psychological and social needs. The article undertakes a critical review of the evolution of transport planning, outlines the main elements of the discipline’s worldview and explores the reasons for its difficulties in handling the ‘soft’ dimensions of mobility such as comfort, ambience, sensual stimulation. It becomes clear that these difficulties can be traced back to the profession’s origins in infrastructure design and economic assessment. The article considers the main criticisms of the traditional mindset and, focusing on travel as an activity, outlines some possibilities to make ‘soft’ aspects more accessible from a planning perspective.

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