Perspectives of the study of informal transport in Latin America

Abstract

The objective of the article is to analyze the approaches and perspectives of research on the problem of informal transport in Latin America. Based on a review of academic and institutional documents, the text reports on the transformation in the approach to informal transport in recent decades. To the same extent, it suggests that the lack of synthesis studies on the subject is a clear indicator of the subordinate position it has taken with respect to urban issues such as housing or employment. With an emphasis on a technical and developmentalist view, studies on the link between informality and public transport have failed to observe the way in which informal transport is inserted into the unequal spatial structures of the continent’s metropolises. Along with these perspectives, it is worth noting the emergence of critical views on informal transport that emphasize its place in the configuration of unequal urban structures. Finally, it is concluded that the study of informal transport beyond the discourse of sustainable urban mobility, will allow progress in the understanding of new conflictive dimensions of Latin American cities.