Lourdes Sofía Monreal Lugo
Bartlett School of Planning, UCL
UBEL Pathway: Urban Studies, Transport and Architectural Space
Supervisor: Dr Iqbal Hamiduddin
Contact details: lourdes.lugo.23@ucl.ac.uk
About Me
I was born in Zacatecas, a prominent Mexican state in size but minor in development. I became interested in cities when I compared my -sensory, energetic and emotional- experiences between my hometown and other cities. The vast gap intrigued me, getting me closer to government studies. I studied my Bachelor in Public Policy at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics. During my studies, I had the opportunity to be a research and teaching assistant, and both activities widened my interest in an academic career. I´m now pursuing my MSc in Urban Studies to complement my public policy track and start my formal formation in city planning studies.
X: @SofMonreal
My Research
Demographic changes are increasingly significant which has affected and will affect the social dynamics of urban societies (Gorman et al., 2019). By 2050, the world will see a doubling proportion of urban inhabitants aged 65 and over (RED, 2020). The latter means a challenge for governments regarding service delivery and public policy, particularly transport and mobility. Ageing comes with physical and mental changes, such as physical deterioration and activity changes. In cities of the Global South, these changes become more complex challenges when adapting to a new routine to maintain their prior lifestyle and social sustainability due to the lack of facilities governments and the environment offer. Mobility needs and features can change (mode of transport, invested time to move, economic transport costs, travel aim) for this populational group, and their health, independence, and participation in society –among others– depend most of the time on adapting and maintaining mobility’s access and use of transports (WHO, 2015). Latin America’s public transport system carries many problems: insecurity, poor infrastructure, inaccessibility, non-reliable frequency and stops, or even non-existent in some areas. This is critical if we follow the evidence that older people rely more on public transport due to its less sensory capacity (Gorman et al., 2019).
This project will be focused on Mexico’s transport and mobility. The Mexican case is an interesting case study due to the car-dependency imperativeness –where other modes are mostly excluded from the streets–the low density caused by the spread population, the particular urban characteristics and, as all over the world, the older population is significantly increasing.
If the urban infrastructure is not conditioned to embrace the new mobility necessities due to the population changes, older people can experience less independence, which may drive to depression, anxiety, social isolation, and community exclusion.
The methodology is mixed, with quantitative analysis, spatial analysis and trajectory data and Semi-structured interviews.
Impact of My Research
The broader aim is to help governments understand how to make cities inclusive, safe and sustainable for older people, principally on mobility and transport issues. Another potential impact is to make the mobility problem of older adults visible after it becomes quantitative bigger than it is today. In the last few years, there has been particular attention to mobility issues on Latin America’s political and public agenda. Thus, presenting the results can bring a unique opportunity to understand the problem from the older residents’ perspective and not leave them behind when urban policies’ mindsets and policies change radically. Also, the academic contributions lie in the junction between the unexplored relevant variables, specifically in a Global South region.
You must be logged in to post a comment.