This research aims to provide a deeper understanding of determinants and outcomes of perceived accessibility by accounting for changes in perceived accessibility over time. This objective is addressed through a twofold empirical approach. First, changes in perceived accessibility and the factors driving these changes are analysed. Afterwards, the impacts of perceived accessibility on travel, activity participation, and well-being are empirically explored. The determinants and outcomes of perceived accessibility assessed in this thesis are identified through a literature review.

A longitudinal latent class analysis highlights various trajectories in perceived accessibility over time. Most trajectories in perceived accessibility (61% of the sample) remained relatively stable over time. Other trajectories indicate notable transitions, with two clusters (27% of the sample) reporting a decline and a single cluster (12% of the sample) reporting an increase between 2020 and 2023. The fixed and random effects regression models reveal that changes in the distance to the nearest amenities (in particular: supermarket, train station, secondary school) partly explain transitions in perceived accessibility. These effects are even more substantial for vulnerable groups. Still, other factors contribute to changes in perceived accessibility to a larger extent. These are changes in mobility tool ownership, household composition, and the number of times meeting online.

In the second part, pathways from perceived accessibility to life satisfaction have been explored using a twofold structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. First, the direct and indirect effects of perceived accessibility on life satisfaction have been systematically studied using 2020 data from MPN members in a cross-sectional SEM design. The analysis reveals that greater perceived accessibility is positively associated with more walking and activities such as grocery shopping and engaging in sports whilst negatively associated with health-related activities. Second, this thesis empirically explores a potential (bi)directional causal link between perceived accessibility and life satisfaction using a longitudinal SEM design. For this, a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model has been estimated using data from 2020, 2023, and 2024. This last analysis highlights that life satisfaction is more likely to positively change perceived accessibility than vice versa.

Based on these empirical findings, three main lessons for policy can be identified. First, changes in the physical environment are actively accounted for by individuals, especially for vulnerable groups. With the loss of amenities and, inherently, increasing distances to activity locations in the Netherlands, an important policy lesson is to identify the neighbourhoods where vulnerable groups live, monitor the corresponding trends in spatial accessibility, and address the decline in amenities in these neighbourhoods using policy designs. Second, providing individuals with the means to travel might mitigate the loss of a private ownership tool and, in turn, allow individuals to maintain their level of accessibility. In this respect, investments in shared mobility or public transport services such as trains, busses, and demand-responsive transport could be alternatives to mitigate private ownership losses. Last, this thesis did not find within-person effects from perceived accessibility to life satisfaction, suggesting that greater perceived accessibility may not be sufficient to enhance life satisfaction directly. Therefore, improvements in accessibility levels should most likely be part of a broader policy design that addresses (perceived) social inclusion and (subjective) well-being.