Abstract:
A decade of research into low-income housing and livelihoods has provided a crucial lens
into issue of mobility. Diverse forms of transport difficulties can have potent effects on
households, often compromising lives and prospects. Amongst these effects are
distortions that have been little recognised, acknowledged or understood. Drawing on
diverse but predominantly qualitative research in Gauteng as well as elsewhere, this
presentation highlights selected impacts of transport inadequacies for very poor people,
with an emphasis on their spatial aspects. These can influence people’s physical, spatial
and economic practices, living arrangements, and abilities to progress socially and
economically. Illustrating these findings, the presentation points to the relevance of
understanding these often-overlooked impacts in conceptualising appropriate transport
initiatives. These experiential aspects of mobility and immobility and their spatial effects
are essential to foregrounding the interface between household needs and transport
services.
