Mobility and marginalisation:unseen impacts of transport inadequacies for households

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.