Social boundaries and segregation on the road: Stratified mobility in urban spaces

• In Event: Community and Urban Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 16: Sociospatial Boundary-Making

Abstract

Much urban research has examined how symbolic and social boundaries structure unequal access to resources in urban areas. However, relatively little scholarly attention has been paid to how traffic infrastructure can also delineate social boundaries and sustain spatial inequality. Drawing on in-depth interviews, digital ethnography, and archival analysis, this article examines how the Taiwanese government segregates road space along social class lines through the construction of separated traffic infrastructure. Specifically, this study finds that the Taiwanese government often assigns motorcyclists, who are predominantly working class in Taiwan, to separated road spaces and restricts their access to major roads. These designated motorcycle spaces are often poorly built and therefore expose motorcyclists to greater traffic danger. To explain this spatial inequality and segregation, this study introduces the concept of minority spaces, defined as physical spaces allocated to socially disadvantaged groups for specific social purposes. While minority spaces are often framed as beneficial to disadvantaged groups, they may instead confine them to segregated and inferior spaces. Overall, this study sheds light on how traffic infrastructure materializes social boundaries and redistributes urban space along social class lines.

Author

• Jun-Jie Lin, University of Arizona