Mobility Injustice: Explorations of mobility injustice by design

This paper is about the relationship between mobility, injustice, and design. The definitions and relationships between these key terms is at the forefront, with shorter empirical vignettes illustrating three empirical themes of concern. The paper explores the relationship between the mobilities being curbed by design decisions and their material conditions. It asks about how choices of materials, design of spaces, and implementation of technologies affords or hinders mobilities. Hence it connects to the emerging research agenda of ‘mobility justice’ (Sheller 2018), ‘design justice’ (Costanza-Chock 2020), and ‘design ethics’ (Wakkary 2021). It engages the designed and ‘made’ human habitats of mobilities with critical questions related to; who counts as passengers? Who has the right to move? Who has access? Who are prevented from moving, and where? All with the intent to show how informed design choices are shaping the material conditions of human’s life in diverse areas such as homeless street-sleepers, physically disabled and cognitively impaired people, and ageing citizens. Across the three areas it is shown how mobility justice is at risk. The author’s research in ‘dark design’ (Jensen 2019) is the outset. This documents how social exclusion of vulnerable groups (homeless and street-sleepers) takes place by installation of for example metal spikes, leaning benches, and others material interventions. These prevent street-sleepers from taking rest, but also leads to changed mobility patterns as they seek shelter ‘elsewhere’ in an urban mosaic of ‘go and no-go areas’ (Jensen 2019). The paper broadens this agenda out to also include disabilities and ageing.