Dear colleagues,

Please find below a call for papers for the 2018 Latin American Studies Association –LASA- congress in Barcelona. The title of the panel proposal is Urban Mobility and Social Equity in Latin American Cities: Evidence, Concepts and Methods for more Inclusive Cities

If interested, please send a 250-word abstract with your personal information and affiliation, along with a short bio to Daniel Oviedo [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> and Natalia Villamizar-Duarte [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> by September 2. 2017

Call for papers – LASA 2018
Urban Mobility and Social Equity in Latin American Cities: Evidence, Concepts
and Methods for more Inclusive Cities

Latin America is currently primarily urban, with higher percentages of urban populations in countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Although lower on average, urban populations in countries like Colombia and Peru are still above 60%. Such a reality, along with the expected growth in urban population and changing dynamics of urban mobility pose considerable challenges for accommodating urban societies in an efficient and equitable manner (McGranahan, 2015). Inequalities in the distribution of costs and benefits of mobility infrastructure and services contribute to the production and reproduction of social inequalities and levels of exclusion in cities (Manderscheid, 2009). Various factors affect inequitable forms of distribution, but low-income and other socially vulnerable populations are often forced to endure the greatest negative effects of poor-quality physical infrastructure, such as longer journey times, increased exposure to pollution and risk of traffic accidents, as well as heightened differences in their ability to access opportunities, relations and services (Titheridge et al., 2014, Lucas et al., 2017).

The multiplicity of mobility needs and practices in Latin American cities is still a relatively understudied issue, while transport and mobility plans and regulations in major cities tend to incorporate increased social inclusion and equity as central objectives in their discourse (Scholl et al., 2016). Conceptual and empirical approaches for the study of mobilities, as well as the toolkit for mainstream transport planning often do not incorporate specific or rigorous indicators that permit measuring their contribution to accessibility, equity and social development (Geurs and van Wee, 2004; Lucas and Jones, 2012; van Wee, 2016). This is partly a result of traditional planning methods that see urban mobility primary as a transport problem and focus on demand and efficiency, without explicitly considering social or spatial equity (Keeling, 2008a; Keeling, 2008b) or the different agents that participate in the construction of diverse forms of mobility in their everyday practices (Creswell, 2011). This panel invites contributions that examine how spatial and social mobilities are deeply intertwined in the reproduction of both spatial and social inequities in Latin American cities. We are particularly interested in works reflecting on the intersecting social relations of class, gender, ethnicity, religion, race, age and physical/mental ability in access to the city, and its services and infrastructure. The panel serves as a forum for the voicing of critiques and exploring the implications for transport and mobility planning and its interaction with other dimensions of planning. Providing methodological, conceptual and policy insights from different contexts in the region to further explore the relationships between the state, civil society and private sector and the provision of more socially just mobility in Latin American Cities.


Please feel free to distribute this CFP among your networks or send it to anyone you think might be interested.


With best wishes,

Natalia and Daniel


Daniel Oviedo Hernandez, PhD
Research Associate – Transport and Urban Development Planning
The Bartlett Development Planning Unit
University College London
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