Urban mobility and spatial justice: Prospects for non-motorized mobility in Nairobi

Abstract

This research investigates the relationship between mobility and justice in the context of Nairobi. Deriving from Amartya Sen's notion that justice addresses remediable injustices, the study explores justice as a dynamic concept influenced by diverse cultures, political ideologies, and philosophical paradigms. Spatial planning is taken as a canvas for these philosophical debates, manifesting in the spatial distribution of resources. Justice in relation to mobility is invoked and performed in various ways. This is based on the premise that space not only contains resources that can be distributed but also consists of individuals who are highly mobile within that space, and whose perceptions play a pivotal role in shaping the concept of justice in relation to mobility. Mobility, as a key element, plays a pivotal role in addressing spatial inequalities, as it facilitates access to the resources that are spatially disjointed. The intersection of mobility and justice unfolds in the streets and neighbourhoods, where spatial planning decisions impact infrastructure provision and access to services and opportunities. In Nairobi, a focus on motorized mobility has subtracted from the advancement of the modes of mobility used by the majority especially the most vulnerable, with a discernible outcome of injustices. Planning for motorized mobility has historically been at a higher level of consideration although a much larger percentage of the population travels on foot. The technical engineering design that lacks integration of social aspects of mobility has presented challenges in provision of safe non-motorized infrastructure, enduringly dismissing non-motorized mobility as a valid mode of mobility. Through a four- dimensional framework that includes space, mobility, individual characteristics and time, this research explores how spatial injustices in Nairobi’s mobility landscape unfold and are made manifest. Viewed from this perspective, the organization of space and the prioritization of the mobility needs of the most vulnerable present a notable way in which spatial justice unfolds and is understood.