Revisiting the concept of space in urban mobility: from positivism to the subject's experience of space

Abstract

Urban studies have understood mobility from diverse and complex points of view and objects of study. However, given the interdisciplinary nature of urban mobility and its complex history of approaches, the understanding and resolution of urban issues has been hindered, preventing the laying of the foundations of a discipline essential for understanding the city. Specifically, the literature understands mobility as part of the city, however, it can be traditionally categorised in different ways and meanings throughout history. This paper is framed within this problematisation in order to contribute to the construction of a theoretical framework based on the historical review of the concept of space in urban mobility. Using a qualitative narrative review methodology (Salinas, 2020), a theoretical analysis is carried out at a historical level in a non-systematic way, the review is developed through the following search engines: i) urban mobility; ii) urban space; iii) history of mobility and iv) urban structure. The structure of analysis corresponds to three main approaches, namely: i) the city as a spatial object or "artefact"; ii) the city as a "system"; and iii) emerging propositions of the dialectical city. The results highlight the role of the built environment and mobility in the notion of the city as spatial object and system. In this way, it is possible to observe that mobility, beyond being considered a synonym of overcoming a distance in space, can also be approached from its potential dimension, also known as mobility capital or the capacity to be mobile in the territory. In this opportunity, the role of the configuration of the built environment together with theorisations of mobility capital can give rise to an understanding of the socially differentiated use of territory and the opportunities - or barriers - created for co-presence and encounter in public spaces.