Framing mobility as a spatial capital

The paper, introducing new research evidence that combines social and spatial theory in new ways (Sheller 2011), suggests a transformative nexus for explaining the role of mobility in contemporary cities, superseding simplified interpretations of mobility as movement through space, to reconceptualize it as "part of the process of social production of time and space" (Cresswell 2006, p.5). In this framework, mobility is a product of social practices and, at the same time, is a "producer" of spatiality, so as to be reinterpreted as spatial capital. As a spatial capital, mobility is “a resource for action” (Coleman, 1990) thanks to the accessibility re-conceptualized as capacity to reach valued activities, to provide opportunities and contribute to participation in social life.