Huacho and the unequal production of pedestrian commuting to essential social services

Tiburcio K. · Hybrid Urbanisms in Secondary Cities of the Global South: Insights from Urban Planning and Infrastructure Delivery in Ghana and Peru (2025) · DOI: 10.4324/9781003511137-12

Resumen

This chapter examines the uneven production of commuting in Huacho, Peru, by analysing the relationship between pedestrian mobility and the socio-spatial particularities of urbanisation, especially in relation to the provision of essential social services (ESS) such as basic education and primary health care. Using a quantitative approach, the spatial distribution of these commutes is assessed, and the level of functionality for everyday access to ESS in different residential areas is determined. The findings reveal that the locational decisions of ESS providers impact the configuration of the urban space, creating unequal patterns of mobility. Despite the state's efforts to distribute these services proportionately to the area served, market decisions favour central and well-connected areas, exacerbating inequalities. Moreover, it is observed that the most and least functional areas are not socially homogeneous and that the effort required to access ESS disproportionately affects the lower socio-economic strata. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of mobility as a socially produced spatial practice, highlighting socio-spatial inequalities and hybrid modes of their production in Peruvian secondary cities.