Daily Mobility, Livelihoods and Transport Policies in Kampala, Uganda: A Hägerstrandian Analysis

In order to construct a suitable transport policy, based on the needs of the inhabitants and city users, planners have to be aware of the needs of urban residents. In this research, Hägerstrand’s space‐time geography is used to understand constraints that individuals from contrasting livelihoods experience regarding their daily mobility in Kampala. To carry out economic activities, both poor and non‐poor face the need to travel, but moving in the city is hampered by congestion and poor walking infrastructure. While non‐poor have the financial and economical flexibility to adjust the time and transport mode of their movements, the poor are constrained by affordability. Space‐time prisms of the movements show that paradoxically the further the distance from the centre, the less movement is undertaken by the non‐poor and more movement by the poor. The policy responses, driven by foreign investments, mainly from China, show that policy circulation plans prevail over tailor‐made solutions.