(Un)walkability, local identity and otherness: perspectives from the production of group mental maps in a peripheral area of Mexico City

Abstract

This article looks at the production of symbolic boundaries in San Gregorio Atlapulco, an ancient village located in a peripheral area of Mexico City that is undergoing major urban change and environmental predation. It presents the point of view of inhabitants who claim to be ‘natives’ of San Gregorio, taking as its angle of approach their pedestrian mobilities and the social representations expressed in these practices. These representations are identified from mental maps produced in workshops with groups of residents. The article examines the relevance of mental maps for understanding the representations deployed in a practice as versatile as walking, and the relevance of the representational approach for understanding what ‘really’ happens in everyday interactions.