Urban mobility in perspective: new perspectives on the dynamics of the contemporary city

Urban mobility in perspective: new perspectives on the dynamics of the contemporary cityIn recent years, studies on urban mobility have advanced significantly, with an increase in academic production and diversification of approaches.These approaches integrate urban, environmental and socio-spatial inclusion themes, highlighting the complexity and plurality of concepts associated with renewed perspectives on urban mobility.Mobility has become a central pillar of contemporary urbanization, reflecting an essential component of global urban daily life.More than just physical displacement, urban mobility represents a distinct capital, characterized by the continuous flow of people, goods and information, and its expanded understanding goes further, also encompassing crucial aspects in the structuring of cities.Sheller and Urry (2006) point out that studies in this area have adopted a more holistic perspective, integrating environmental and social aspects.Ascher (1995Ascher ( , 2004) ) discusses the implications of changes in the speed of transportation and multiple mobilities, highlighting their effects on urban structuring and the emergence of a hypertext society, driven by information technologies.Seeking reflections from the perspective of sustainability, Banister (2011) suggests, based on a reassessment of the relationship between distance, speed and time, a new urban dynamic focused on reducing distances and speeds and interpreting urban arrangements in a renewed way.Vasconcellos (2001Vasconcellos ( , 2018) ) redirects discussions on mobility in the Brazilian context, broadening the understanding of the subject based on data that indicates inequalities in access to the transport system.In this vein, there have been investigations from the perspective of urban mobility as justice and equity (Silva, Pinto and Bertollini, 2019; Straatemeier and Bertollini, 2020;Pereira, Schwanen and Banister, 2017) that have considered accessibility, understood as the opportunities that can be reached within a given time or travel cost, as a fundamental principle for thinking about mobility.This approach highlights urban mobility from the viewpoint of distributive justice and equity and, by considering accessibility as the key to a comprehensive reflection on mobility, sheds light on the challenges surrounding urban inequalities and democratic access to the city.