The (de)construction of children’s mobility in deprived neighbourhoods of Santiago de Chile

The daily contact of children with their local public realm is decreasing over time, as cities have become hostile for children and more trips are made in a car. The physical configuration and the social environment can raise anxieties and increase the perception of risk and insecurity on the part of children and their families. We investigate how the interaction of the physical environment, with the social qualities of the public spaces, influence and endanger the mobility of children; and report the results of forty-eight interviews conducted in two deprived areas of Santiago de Chile. The findings suggest that the physical features play several roles in children’s revealed or suppressed mobility, from the landmarks along relatively homogenous routes, to opportunities to engage in activities, or significant cues to infer risks. Meanwhile, the social qualities of the places are mostly linked with environments which are becoming more and more hostile for children.