Children’s everyday mobility in the district of Santiago, Santiago, Chile
Main Article Content
Abstract
Children’s everyday mobility constitutes a relevant issue for their wellbeing, especially in urban territories with high automobility, safety issues, and planned from an adult-centric perspective. In this paper, we present a qualitative study conducted in the district of Santiago, in Santiago, Chile with two public schools, with around 35 children, most of them migrant. We conducted playful workshops photo-elicitation. The results contribute to characterize the mobility patterns of this group, as well as problematizing experiential aspects from children’s perspectives: while they enjoy walking with others, practicing sports, playing and eating while they do, they identify dirtiness, parental fears and traffic danger as barriers for a safe, autonomous and enjoyed mobility. Based on these results, we suggest recommendations for urban planning and public policy in different scales and realms.
Downloads
Article Details
Section

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
-
Attribution - You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
-
NonCommercial - You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
-
ShareAlike - If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
- No additional restrictions - You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
References
Al-Mosaind, M. (2019). The effect of age & gender on children’s mobility in Riyadh’s neighborhoods. Heliyon, 5(3), e01327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01327
Brown, C., de Lannoy, A., McCracken, D., Gill, T., Grant, M., Wright, H., & Williams, S. (2019). Special issue: Child-friendly cities [Editorial]. Cities & Health, 3(1-2), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2019.1682836
Calquín, C., Galaz, C., & Magaña, I. (2022). Intervención y familias migrantes: análisis crítico de la «vulnerabilidad» desde los/las profesionales. Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud, 20(2), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.11600/rlcsnj.20.2.5326
Chile Actívate. (2022). Último reporte de notas. Autor.
Christensen, P., & Cortés-Morales, S. (2016). Children’s mobilities: Methodologies, theories, and Scales. En C. Ni Laoire, A., White, & T. Skelton (Eds.), Movement, mobilities, and journeys, (pp. 1-32). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4585-93-4_17-2
Christensen P., & James A. (2000). Researching children and childhood: Cultures of communication. En P. Christensen, & A. James (Eds.), Research with children: Perspectives and practices. Falmer.
Clark, A. (2017). Listening to young children: A guide to understanding and using the mosaic approach. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Clement, S., & Waitt, G. (2018). Pram mobilities: Affordances and atmospheres that assemble childhood and motherhood on-the-move. Children’s Geographies, 16(3), 252- 265. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2018.1432849
Cooper, A., Andersen, L., Wedderkopp, N., Page, A., & Froberg, K. (2005). Physical activity levels of children who walk, cycle or are driven to school. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 29(3), 179-184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2005.05.009
Córdoba-Calquin, C. A., Farris, M., & Rojas, K. (2017). Discutir la segregación socioeco-nómica escolar en términos territoriales: la in&uencia diferenciada de la fragmentación urbana y la movilidad cotidiana. Investigaciones Geográficas, (92). https://doi.org/10.14350/rig.5476
Córdoba-Calquin, C., Rojas-Patuelli, K., & González-Lagos, R. (2022). Segregación escolar de estudiantes migrantes en escuelas de Santiago, Chile. Magis. Revista Inter-nacional de Investigación en Educación, 15, 1-31. https://doi.org/q3kf
Cortés-Morales, S. (2020). Bracelets around their wrists, bracelets around their worlds: Materialities and mobilities in (researching) young children’s lives. Children’s Geographies, 19(3), 364-376. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2020.1789559
Cortés-Morales, S., de Campos, G., & Acevedo-Rincón, J. (2021). Movilidades infantiles en pandemia: develando espacialidades invisibles de la niñez en Latinoamérica. Revista Desidades. Revista Electrónica de Divulgación Científica de la Infancia y la Juventud, 30.
Dodd, H., FitzGibbon, L., Watson, B., & Nesbit, J. (2021). Children’s play and independent mobility in 2020: Results from the British children’s play survey. International journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(8), 4334. https://doi.org/q3kp
Fyhri, A., & Hjorthol, R. (2009). Children’s independent mobility to school, friends and leisure activities. Journal of Transport Geography, 17(5), 377-384. https://doi.org/dn4v2
Fyhri, A., Hjorthol, R., Mackett, R. L., Nordgaard, T., & Kyttä, M. (2011). Children’s active travel and independent mobility in four countries: Development, social con-tributing trends and measures. Transport Policy, 18(5), 703-710. https://doi.org/fm63j7
Hermida, C., Naranjo, G., Peña, J., Quezada, A., & Orellana, D. (2021). Avances en el conocimiento de la relación entre la movilidad activa a la escuela y el entorno urbano. Revista de Urbanismo, (45), 182-198. https://doi.org/10.5354/0717-5051.2021.58168
Hernández, S. (2021). La casa, la escuela y el barrio: la movilidad peatonal independiente en las y los estudiantes de bachillerato del Instituto Luis Vives, Ciudad de México. Economía Creativa, (14), 75-115. https://doi.org/10.46840/ec.2020.14.04
Hillman, M., Adams, J., & Whitelegg, J. (1990). One false move: A study of children’s inde-pendent mobility. Policy Studies Institute.
Huertas-Delgado, F., Chillón, P., Barranco-Ruiz, Y., Herrador-Colmenero, M., Rodríguez- Rodríguez, F., & Villa-González, E. (2018). Parental perceived barriers to active commuting to school in Ecuadorian youth. Journal of Transport & Health, 10, 290-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2018.05.102
Humberto, M., Pizzol, B., Moura, F., Giannotti, M., & de Lucca-Silveira, M. P. (2020). Investigating the mobility capabilities and functionings in accessing schools through walking: A quantitative assessment of public and private schools in São Paulo (Brazil). Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 21(2), 183-204. https://doi.org/gtpxs3
Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas. (2017). Censo de población y vivienda 2017. Autor.
Jirón, P., Imilan, W., & Barra, V. (2023). Moving, playing, storytelling: The uses of trayectopia to situate mobility experiences in urban design, planning, teaching, and re-search. Transfers, 13(3), 21-39. https://doi.org/10.3167/TRANS.2023.130304
Kemp, N., Josephidou, J., & Bolshaw, P. (2025). «Tiny humans» outdoors: Understanding the factors that mediate opportunities for babies and toddlers. Children’s Geographies, 23(2), 219-236. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2025.2479683
Leventhal, T. (2018). Neighborhood context and children’s development: When do neigh-borhoods matter most? Child Development Perspectives, 12(4), 258-263. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12296
Luttrell, W. (2020). Children framing childhoods: Working-class kids’ visions of care. Policy Press. https://doi.org/10.56687/9781447353324
Mackett, R., & Thoreau, R. (2015). Transport, social exclusion and health. Journal of Transport & Health, 2(4), 610-617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2015.07.006
Margarit, D., & Galaz, C. (2018). Espacios barriales y convivencia: re&exiones sobre las concentraciones de población inmigrada y la territorialidad urbana. Rumbos TS, (17), 23-50.
Marques, E., Pizarro, A., Mota, J., & Santos, M. P. (2014). Independent mobility and the relationship with moderate to vigorous physical activity in middle-school Portuguese boys and girls. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 11, 1640-1643. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2013-0035
Marzi, I., & Reimers, A. K. (2018). Children’s independent mobility: Current knowledge, future directions, and public health implications. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(11), 2441. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15112441
Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia [Chile]. (2023). Síntesis de resultados Casen 2022: pobreza multidimensional. Gobierno de Chile. Movyt. (2021). Guía de aplicación. https://www.movyt.cl/sitio/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/TRAYECTOPIA-Guia-de-Aplicacion-1.pdf
Murray, L. (2009). Making the journey to school: The gendered and generational aspects of risk in constructing everyday mobility. Health, Risk & Society, 11(5), 471-486. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698570903183889
Murray, L., & Cortés-Morales, S. (2019). Children’s mobilities: Interdependent, imagined, relational. Palgrave Macmillan. Nansen, B., Gibbs, L., MacDougall, C. Vetere, F. Ross, N., & McKendrick, J. (2014). Children’s interdependent mobility: compositions, collaborations and compromises. Children’s Geographies, 13(4), 467-481. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2014.887813
O’Brian, M., Jones, D., Sloan, D., & Rustin, M. (2001). Children’s independent spatial mobility in the urban public realm. Childhood, 7(3), 257-277. https://doi.org/dmvw2q
Observatorio Niñez. (2024). Primer Informe Nacional del Bienestar de la Niñez. Autor. Olsen, J., Mitchell, R., McCrorie, P., & Ellaway, A. (2019). Children’s mobility and environmental exposures in urban landscapes: A cross-sectional study of 10-11 year old Scottish children. Social Science & Medicine, 224, 11-22. https://doi.org/ghrz9q
Orellana, D., Hermida, C., Quezada, A., Andrade, J., & Ballari, D. (2024). Children’s active mobility to school: Evidence from two Andean cities. Sustainability, 16(7), 2745. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072745
Orrmalm, A. (2020). The &ows of things — exploring babies’ everyday space-making. Children’s Geographies, 19(6), 677-688. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2020.1866748
Palma, X., Chillón, P., Rodríguez-Rodríguez, F., Barranco-Ruiz, Y., & Huertas-Delgado, F. (2019). Perceived parental barriers towards active commuting to school in Chilean children and adolescents of Valparaíso. International Journal of Sustainable Transporta-tion, 14(7), 525-532. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2019.1578840
Pain, R. (2016). Whose fear is it anyway? Resisting terror, fear and fear for children. En S. Smith (Ed.), Fear: Critical geopolitics and everyday Life (pp. 211-222). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315582054
Peach, L., Watson, D., Skeels, I., Ali, S., Bradley, P., Musse, S., & Allport, T. (2025). Multi-species encounters in the city: A more-than-human perspective on children’s arts-based exploration of urban natural spaces. Children’s Geographies, 23(2), 172-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2025.2476429
Pinillos-Patiño, Y., Herazo-Beltran, Y., Tocora-Andrade, R., Aramendiz-Mejía, J., Bote-llo- Montero, Y., Vulardy-Armenta, J. & Bravo-Córdoba, R. (2022). Transporte activo: distancia entre el hogar y la escuela. Retos, 44, 364-369. https://doi.org/q3kg
Porter, G., Hampshire, K., Abana, A., Munthal, A., Robston, E., Mashiri, M. & Maponya, G. (2010). Where dogs, ghosts and lions roam: Learning from mobile ethnographies on the journey form school. Children’s Geographies, 8(2), 91-105. https://doi.org/dcmc5b
Razmilic, S. (2019). Inmigración, vivienda y territorio. En I. Aninat, & R. Vergara (Eds.), Inmigración en Chile: una mirada multidimensional (pp. 101-148). Fondo de Cultura Económica.
Romero, M., & Christensen, P. (2009). Is children’s independent mobility really indepen-dent? A study of children’s independent mobility combining ethnography and GPS/ mobile phones technologies. Mobilities, 4(1), 37-58. https://doi.org/b8nfsc
Schoeppe, S., Duncan, M., Badland, H., Oliver, M., & Curtis, C. (2013). Associations of children’s independent mobility and active travel with physical activity, sedentary behaviour and weight status: A systematic review. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 16, 312-319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2012.11.001
Secretaría Comunal de Planificación. (2014). Antecedentes comunales de Santiago Centro. Ilustre Municipalidad de Santiago.
Shaw, B., Bicket, M., Elliot, B., Fagan-Watson, B., Macca, E., & Hillman, M. (2015). Children’s independent mobility: on international comparison and recommendations for action. Policy Studies Institute. https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/sites/default/files/files/7350_PSI_Report_CIM_final.pdf
Smith, M., Amann, R., Cavadino, A., Raphael, D., Kearns, R., Mackett, R., Mackay, L., Carroll, P., Forsyth, E., Mavoa, S., Zhao, J., Ikeda, E., & Witten, K. (2019). Children’s transport built environments: A mixed methods study of associations between per-ceived and objective measures and relationships with parent licence for independent mobility in Auckland, New Zealand. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(8),1361. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16081361
Strandell, H. (2014). Mobile phones in children’s alter-school centres: Stretching of place and control. Mobilities, 9(2), 256-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450101.2013.802488
Tuñon, I. (2014). Derecho al juego: entre el tiempo escolar, los amigos y el espacio público. Niños/ as entre 5 y 17 años en la Argentina urbana. Serie del Bicentenario 2010-2016; boletín n.º 1. Observatorio de la Deuda Social de la Infancia. https://repositorio.uca.edu.ar/bitstream/123456789/8131/1/derecho-juego-entre-tiempo-escolar.pdf
Unicef. (2020). Niños, niñas y adolescentes en Chile. Autor. https://www.unicef.org/chile/media/3636/file/Cifras%20de%20infancia.pdf
Unicef. (2022). Ethical research involving children. Autor. https://childethics.com
Unicef. (2023). Child friendly cities initiative. Autor. https://childfriendlycities.org
Unicef. (2025). Los derechos de la infancia en las ciudades del mundo. Autor. https://www.unicef.es/publicacion/los-derechos-de-la-infancia-en-las-ciudades-del-mundo
Varvantakis, C., & Nolas, S.-M. (2019). Metaphors we experiment with in multimodal ethnography. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 22(4), 365-378. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2019.1574953
Varvantakis, C., & Nolas, S.-M. (9 de noviembre de 2021). Picturing what really matters: How «photo-story» research can help make the personal, visible. The Sociological Review. https://doi.org/10.51428/tsr.mtsg8567
Viego, V., & Gayone, M. (2023). El camino a la escuela: distancias entre hogares y unida-des educativas en distintos estratos sociales. Análisis con microdatos georreferenciados de Bahía Blanca. Revista Latinoamericana de Políticas y Administración de la Educación, (18), 93-109.
Whittle, R. (2018). Baby on board: The impact of sling use on experiences of family mobi-lity with babies and young children. Mobilities, 14(2), 137-157. https://doi.org/gqwkz7
Whittle, R. (2021). Towards interdependence: Using slings to inspire a new understanding of parental care. Children’s Geographies, 20(5), 674-687. https://doi.org/q3kq
World Health Organization. (2018). Global status report on road safety 2018. Autor.