| Car dependence has become a systemic crisis for cities, tied to problems as diverse as gridlock, epidemic obesity and climate change. Yet, transport continues to be seen as an instrumental behaviour, isolated from other aspects of the city, thus obscuring the social, political and economic conditions of the car that stymie reform. In response to this narrow understanding, my thesis considers travel through a wide lens. It seeks to deepen our understanding of everyday mobility by examining its multifaceted relationship with urban space and the built environment.;To examine historical and contemporary "neighbourhoods of mobility," I conduct a detailed case study of the National Capital Region. I use a mixed methods research design that proceeds in three stages. First, I trace the historical consolidation of mass automobility in southern Ontario as a dynamic and diverse network. Second, I examine recent attempts to curb car use through smart growth and the production of space for cycling and light rail transit. Third, I investigate how cities are re-imagining and forecasting future mobilities through urban intensification, even as recent moves by the Harper government threaten the scientific basis for long term planning.;My thesis engages with recent research on mobilities, Henri Lefebvre's work on the production of space, and actor-network theory. Building on these materials, I advance a conceptual approach called "neighbourhoods of mobility" that emphasizes the particular ways in which automobility, rail travel, and other mobilities interact with urban space through city planning and everyday practice. I use this conceptual approach to 1) explore mobility as it is co-constructed with the city as a network of urban flows and fixities, and 2) outline a critical politics of automobility that supports the expansion of urban rail transit, bicycle travel, and walking. |
