Call for Papers: Accessibility and intersectionality as challenges for daily commuting in Latin American cities

In contemporary cities, access to economic, social, environmental, and cultural activities is largely determined by family income and residential location, making social conditions a defining factor for mobility patterns (Miralles-Guasch & Cebollada, 2009). Similarly, the provision of basic services that enable a better quality of life (Villar-Uribe, 2021) varies significantly among different social groups. Social practices have a social impact rooted in unequal power relations, which can affect individuals’ access to activities and locations (Jirón, 2011). Furthermore, housing in peripheral areas complicates access to certain activities and services, increasing distances (González & González, 2022).

The concept of accessibility began to be studied in the 1950s and is defined as the potential to use and benefit from the opportunities offered by political, social, economic, and cultural institutions, closely tied to spatial locations within a given territory (Bertolini, le Clercq, & Kapoen, 2005; Farrington, 2007). Accessibility primarily concerns the extent to which members of a society can unrestrictedly enjoy the opportunities provided by the city, contributing to the guarantee of the right to the city, understood as the right of all citizens to benefit from the diverse opportunities within the urban territory (Lefèbvre, 1968). More specifically, the right to mobility frames everyday travel as a form of citizenship that appropriates public space and moves towards spatial justice (Verlinghieri & Venturini, 2018).

However, intersectional factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, and culture can introduce additional barriers to accessibility (Uteng & Cresswell, 2008). Indeed, conditions of accessibility and mobility often reveal significant inequalities related to gender, ethno-cultural identity, or age, which, combined with social status and location, create scenarios of spatial injustice. The concept of intersectionality (Collins et al., 2021) is therefore critical to understanding how different identity markers intersect and interact, shaping social experiences and power relations. It also helps reveal how social structures and practices reproduce inequality and oppression, raising questions about the resulting possibilities for urban access.

This special issue invites contributions addressing the central theme of accessibility through everyday mobility, with particular attention to an intersectional perspective that highlights conditions or identities exacerbating spatial injustice. This call aligns with the recent publication of issue 16 of urbe journal, which focused on exploring urban inequalities in their diverse spatial and social dimensions.

Submission period: December 5, 2024, to April 5, 2025

 

Guest editors:

Carlos A. Moreno, Universidad Piloto de Colombia
Geisa Bugs, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil
Maëlle Lucas, Université Rennes 2, France
Pablo Vega Centeno, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

References

Bertolini, L., le Clercq, F., & Kapoen, L. (2005). Sustainable accessibility: a conceptual framework to integrate transport and land use plan-making. Two test-applications in the Netherlands and a reflection on the way forward. Transport Policy, 12, 207–220.Farrington, J. H. (2007). The new narrative of accessibility: its potential contribution to discourses in (transport) geography. Journal of Transport Geography, 15(5), 319–330.
González, M., & González, S. (2022). Proximidade e mobilidade no habitar da periferia urbana: uma experiência entrópica dos guardiões de propriedades. Urbe. Revista Brasileira de Gestão Urbana, v.14.
Jirón, P. (2011). Mobility Practices in Santiago de Chile: The Consequences of Restricted Urban Accessibility. In: The politics of proximity. Routledge.
Lefèbvre, H. (1968). El derecho a la ciudad (Anthropos). Paris.
Miralles-Guasch, C., & Cebollada, A. (2009). Movilidad cotidiana y sostenibilidad, una interpretación desde la geografía humana. Boletín de La AGE, 50, 193–216.
Verlinghieri, E., & Venturini, F. (2018). Exploring the right to mobility through the 2013 mobilizations in Rio de Janeiro. Journal of Transport Geography, 67, 126-136.
Villar-Uribe, J.R. (2021). Modernização do transporte público na periferia urbana: o fim do transporte informal? Estudo de caso: sistema de teleférico Transmicable na localidade de Ciudad Bolívar, Bogotá - Colômbia. Urbe. Revista Brasileira de Gestão Urbana, 13.
Uteng, T. P., & Cresswell, T. (Eds.). (2008). Gendered mobilities (p. 270). Aldershot: Ashgate.