Book launch of 'Urban Mobility and Social Equity in Latin America: Evidence, Concepts, Methods'

The event will also feature interpretation into Spanish provided by students of the Interpreting and Languages team at London Metropolitan University and into Portuguese provided by students from the Interpreter Training Program of PUC-Rio University, Brazil.

Urban mobility plays a significant role in shaping the urban form of our cities and the way we experience them. Transport infrastructures and public transport services largely determine such a role and how these infrastructures and services fit with our cities' socioeconomic, functional, and spatial structure. The distribution of different means for urban mobility largely determines individuals' ability in various social and economic positions to access opportunities and exercise their right to the city.

The launch of the book Urban Mobility and Social Equity in Latin America: Evidence, Concepts, Methods (Edited by Daniel Oviedo, Natalia Villamizar-Duarte and Ana Marcela Ardila Pinto) gives authors and editors space to reflect on Latin America is a unique setting for examining the links between urban mobility and social equity. Building on the contributions from scholars researching the social impacts of urban mobility across the Americas, the speakers will illustrate and discuss concepts and methods that can help us examine the distributional effects of transport policies in the region.

By reviewing how spatial and social mobilities contribute to the reproduction of both spatial and social inequities in Latin American cities, the book and the dialogue provide an exciting perspective that expands on different fronts on the current literature in and about the region.

This event is organised by the  Bartlett Development Planning Unit in partnership with INTALInC LAC and it will be broadcasted in English, Spanish and Portuguese, thanks the collaboration with London Metropolitan University and PUC Rio.

Speakers

Ana Marcela Ardila is Associate Professor of Sociology at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. A sociologist with over 20 years of experience in urban sociology, urban planning and mobility. Her work focuses on public space, sociability and urban mobility policy in Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte

Diego Hernández (Universidad Católica del Uruguay). Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences. He develops research on transport, mobility, social exclusion and equity, including topics like spatial accessibility, affordability and gender. He has published his research work in scientific journals and he has worked as consultant for national and international institutions.

Gabriela Cicci Faria has a master’s in urban sociology by the Federal University of Minas Gerais and is a social psychologist graduated by the same institution. Her main themes of interest in research are urban mobility, gender, space and subjectivity.

Friederike Fleischer is Associate Professor at the Department of Anthropology, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia. Her books include Surburban Beijing (2010) and Soup, Love, and a Helping Hand (2018). She recently published “Atravesando la Ciudad ….” (EURE, 2019) and “The Normalization of Bogota Social Housing Residents…” (City & Society, forthcoming).

Discussants

Lake Sagaris (Associate Professor, Department of Transport Engineering and Logistics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Centre for Sustainable Urban Development CEDEUS, BRT+ Centre of Excellence) holds a PhD in planning and geography. She specializes in collaborative governance, transport justice and walk-bike-bus sustainability trio from a gender and equity perspective.

Julio D Dávila is Professor of Urban Policy and International Development, and former Director of the Development Planning Unit, UCL. A civil engineer and urban development planner with 30 years’ international experience in research and consultancy. His research focuses on local government and social and political transformations, and governance of urban infrastructure.

Natalia Villamizar Duarte is Associate Professor in the School of Architecture and Urbanism at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. She has worked in urban design, urban planning, and policy-making for over 15 years. Her work focuses on processes and practices of governing, public space and urban mobility, and urban borders.
 

Chair

Dr Daniel Oviedo is Assistant Professor at the Development Planning Unit of UCL. A civil engineer and urban development planner with over 10 years of experience on urban transport in global south cities. His research focuses on accessibility, inequality, social exclusion, informal transport and sustainability. He leads INTALInC in Latin America.