Spaces & Flows: Ninth International Conference on Urban and ExtraUrban Studies

Abstract

People are constantly on the move in cities. They can walk, ride a bicycle, take public transportation, or drive a car – it does not matter, but their movement always has a purpose. Mostly it is about reaching a destination although walking, or cycling can even be considered as free time activities. Thereby mobility has an important role regarding the livability of a place. Good city quality in terms of mobility means the convenient accessibility of the above-mentioned destinations using any transportation mode. However, in traditional livability analysis researchers and experts emphasize the positive effect of active and human-scaled mobility such as walking and cycling in contrast with using a car. The broad range of problems emerging from privileging cars in planning is getting more awareness in more and more cities, such as noise and air pollution, lower traffic safety, constant congestion, disproportionate use of public space, or even health-risks for drivers. So while in many of the first world countries now they invest in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, excluding cars from the inner city, what is the situation in developing countries? Do they have the possibility to walk freely and safely? Is cycling a feasible option for intraurban mobility? Moreover, what are the residents’ perceptions and expectations concerning mobility? Do they use a car because there is no suitable alternative? Our survey addressed these questions among other livability-related topics in Ecuador, Kenya, and Nicaragua and we analyzed their answers compared to the results from Austria, Hungary and the US.