Live Nearby, Be Different, Work Apart? Some Learnings from Action Spaces Discrepancies in Santiago de Chile

Abstract

This article examines macro-level contextual parameters and individual-based factors deemed in the literature to directly influence individuals' daily mobility practices. It considers urban structure, place of residence, situation in the social hierarchy, and position in the life course. Taking its inspiration from approaches highlighting segregation at destination place and studies focusing on mobility biographies, it enquires whether systematic discrepancies may be detected between the places frequented for work or study on a daily basis by groups of individuals residing in the same neighborhood. It also looks at whether home location (in a central area, inner suburb, or outskirt) influences how action spaces are configured. The analysis relies on a three-phase integrated method. First, a typology of individuals is assembled so as to put together homogenous socio-demographic groups. Second, the action spaces of these groups are calculated and mapped. Third, the significance of spatial differences in action spaces is assessed using a bivariate colocation test, hitherto used primarily in spatial epidemiology. This three-phase method is applied to data collected in Santiago de Chile during a survey of 1000 households, designed to capture spatial mobility from a biographical perspective.