Metropolitan expansion and mobility: the case of Caracas

Abstract

The mode of urban expansion in Caracas Metropolitan Area (CMA) has caused high levels of residential segregation and, at the same time, unequal conditions related to urban mobility and accessibility. Deregulation and privatization of the collective transport induced the emergence of a disorganized and disarticulated sector. The big investments in public transport infrastructures, such as the subway or Metrocable, did not have the expected effects to reduce the social exclusion or the negative impacts of the model (traffic congestion, accidents, pollution). In this work we will analyze the mobility model combined with the expansion model of the CMA, through the study of the features of the mobility model and its undesired effects within the Latin-American context. We will use the available statistical data and the last theoretical contributions. Finally, we will put forward some proposals to achieve sustainable urban mobility.