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Work-walks and walkscapes: Women domestic workers’ lived experiences and contexts of mobility in Lima and Mumbai

Project: Research

Project Details

Description

Walking practices are understudied in general, but qualitative understanding of the walking practices related to work - walking to, or for work - is especially weak in the literature. Northern contexts predominate in walking studies, as does voluntary walking. However, in Southern cities, 'captive pedestrians' visibly predominate on the ground, especially those walking for work. Therefore, this proposal focuses on the ‘work-walk’ - walking practice associated with work - in cities in the Global South (addressing mainly, Theme 2 of the CFP). Women domestic workers (WDWs) are among the most ubiquitous but invisible of workers in the city, who rely on walking to access work. We thus, propose a comparative, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and mixed-methods study of the ‘work-walk’ of women domestic workers, in two Southern cities, Mumbai (India) and Lima (Peru). This would be analysed in relation to the ‘walkscape,’ or the physical and policy landscape that conditions it in each city. Specifically, we propose to study a) the lived and practiced walking of individual WDWs in each city and its larger, local patterns, and b) how the specific contours of policy, governance, planning and urban management create the walkscape that shapes the experience of WDWs’ work-walks. A comparative analysis of these findings, that accounts for similarities and differences across walkers (WDWs), their livelihoods, and the planning and governance context across both cities is expected to produce new empirical and theoretical generalisations of broader relevance to mobility, walking and urban studies.

General Objective

This research will focus on the ‘work-walk’ of women domestic workers and its related ‘walkscapes’ in two Southern cities, Mumbai (India) and Lima (Peru). The 'work-walk' refers to walking practices associated with work, while the ‘walkscape’ includes the spatial landscape as well as policy, planning and governance frameworks shaping these practices.

Specific Objectives

**Lograr una comprensión integral de la experiencia de caminar asociada al trabajo para las trabajadoras domésticas, incluyendo las estrategias, limitaciones y negociaciones que combinan como parte de la experiencia.** **Identificar las principales estructuras institucionales, políticas o espaciales que determinan o dan forma a la experiencia de caminar asociada al trabajo. **

Direct Results

A. 2 City reports Mumbai: Nisha Nair Lima: Daniel Ramirez Corzo Each city report would focus on the two main topics and combine them in a city-level analysis: i) Work-walk: Collaborative and participatory field research on the WDWs’ work-walk. Mumbai: Nisha Nair Lima: Daniel Ramírez Corzo and Fanel Contreras ii) Walkscapes: City-level analysis of physical environment and infrastructural systems; planning, policy, and governance context of WDWs’ walking practice. Method: Review of policy documents and interviews. Mumbai: Dr. Malini Krishnankutty Lima: Dr. Luis Rodriquez Rivero and Fanel Contreras B. 1 report - Comparative analysis of the “work-walk”, walkscapes and their relationship in the Southern city – across Mumbai and Lima. Dr. Himanshu Burte and Dr. Luis Rodriguez Rivero C. 2 Journal articles (manuscripts) Dr. Himanshu Burte and Dr. Luis Rodriguez Rivero

Indirect Results

**Fomentar el debate y comprensión sobre la incidencia de la movilidad la desigualdad urbana en Lima Metropolitana.** **Aportar evidencia que aliente la incorporación de medidas específicas sobre movilidad peatonal y perspectiva de género en las políticas de movilidad y planeamiento urbano en Lima Metropolitana.** **- Fortalecimiento de las capacidades de las organizaciones contrapartes para tareas de incidencia con la información producida y las capacidades desarrolladas durante el proyecto.**

Research Level

Investigacion basica

Research Approach

Multidisciplinario

Project Type

ADMINISTRADO

Ubigeo

LIMA - LIMA - SAN MIGUEL

Research Lines

  • 45 — Estudios metropolitanos

OECD Fields of Science and Technology

Ciencias sociales - Geografía social, Geografía económica - Estudios urbanos | Ciencias sociales - Geografía social, Geografía económica - Planificación del transporte y aspectos sociales del transporte | Humanidades - Arte - Arquitectura y urbanismo

Funding Institution

PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA DEL PERÚ
Short titleWORK WALKS WALKSCAPES
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date15/12/2331/08/25