Institute of Geography and Sustainability of the University of Lausanne
Research projects
Collective cyclist mobilisations in South America : Right to the city and mobility justice
Research fields |
Urban matters |
Keywords |
Cycling Mobility Sustainable development Urban planning |
Funding | Swiss National Science Foundation (project Spark) |
Duration | March 2020 - February 2021 |
Website | |
Researchers |
Rérat Patrick (Principal Investigator) [email] Gillot Matthieu (Scientific collaborator) [email] |
Latin American metropolises follow a relatively convergent urbanization pattern, which places strong constraints on the mobility of their inhabitants. In the context of a neo-liberal society where cyclists are not a symbol of enrichment, social movements mobilising for cycling are forming in large numbers to claim their belonging to the city, their "right to the city". The project will more particularly analyse the demonstrators, their means of action, their speeches and the influence of their mobilisation on the populations and public institutions. It is also part of the debate on the "just city" and refers to the notion of "justice of mobility" which "calls for a new understanding of the politics of the movement and a demand for justice for all" (Sheller 2018). The research is carried out during a cycling trip, an approach that draws on mobile methods and allows a better understanding of the reality on the ground. The study will cover the cities of Montevideo in Uruguay, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Santiago de Chile, Quito in Ecuador, Lima in Peru and Bogota in Colombia.