Patterns of Urban Settlement and Inequalities of Mobility. The Evolution of Daily Mobilities Within Two Working Class Suburbs of Bogota: Soacha and Madrid (1993-2009)

Abstract

The article examines changes in daily mobility in two municipalities that illustrate the diversity of the popular suburb of Bogotá: Soacha is integrated into the residential market in Bogota and its labor pool, while Madrid has some autonomy. Both municipalities are now entering a phase of “urban maturation”, resulting in a diversification of their demographic composition, consolidation of buildings, some residential anchor of their residents and improving the supply of local jobs and services, including education. The analysis of census data from 1993 and 2005, and surveys on mobility in 1993 and 2009, shows that there is a relative homogeneity of the social composition in the two municipalities, which contrasts with a widening of inequality of daily mobility, especially in Soacha. These disparities are not only a reflection of the social stratification, because gender or age are also available, with important differences between individuals within a same household.