Mobilities and Social Practices in Everyday Life
Summary
Mobilities and social practices in everyday life explore how movement—whether on foot, by vehicle or through digital networks—is embedded within routines, infrastructures and cultural norms. This perspective brings together theories of practice with mobility studies to examine how people, technologies and environments co‐constitute one another. It highlights the embodied nature of travel, the role of material artefacts and data flows, and the ways in which social norms and competencies shape journey planning and execution. Research in this field addresses global challenges such as sustainable urban development, equitable access to public amenities, and the design of responsive transport systems. By attending to mundane journeys—from daily commutes to spontaneous outings—scholars reveal how ordinary practices contribute to broader patterns of inclusion, exclusion and resilience. This approach informs practical applications in urban planning, digital infrastructure, health interventions and service design, emphasising that seemingly trivial mobilities are central to social cohesion and well‐being.
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Mobilities and Social Practices in Everyday Life publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in mobilities and social practices in everyday life across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Mundane mobilities: Routine and everyday movement practices through social and material environments.
Social practices: Recurrent actions shaped by shared norms, materials and competencies within a community.
Sensor work: Activities involved in collecting, processing and integrating sensor data to enable technological systems.
Urban informatics: The study and application of data-driven technologies to analyse and manage flows and interactions in urban spaces.
References
- Sensor work: enabling the interoperation of autonomous vehicles. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (2023).
- From urban design to service design in urban informatics: spectators' attitudes, expectations and privacy concerns in mass urban events. Urban Informatics (2024).
- ‘I have to know where I can go’: mundane mobilities and everyday public toilet access for people living with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Social & Cultural Geography (2021).
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