El Ciudadano
Original article: Cuando moverse cuesta más: Combustible, ciudad y desigualdad en la vida cotidiana
By Juan Oscar Martínez Barajas, Territory Observatory, Vice-Rectorate for Community Engagement Metropolitan Technological University (UTEM)
The recent rise in fuel prices has reignited a concern that has always loomed large for many: the cost of commuting in the city.
Beyond the number displayed at a gas station, this increase reveals something deeper, more everyday, and fundamentally structural. It’s not just about higher fuel costs; it’s also about a way of navigating the city that burdens some more than others.
In Greater Santiago, thousands of individuals start their day before dawn, commuting from neighborhoods like Puente Alto, Maipú, La Pintana, or San Bernardo to their jobs in areas such as downtown Santiago, Providencia, or Las Condes. These are long, often exhausting journeys that combine public transportation and, in some cases, the use of private vehicles.
Every kilometer traveled represents more than just distance: it translates into time, money, and energy. And when fuel prices rise, the impact of all these factors is felt even more acutely.
However, it would be an error to think that the problem originates solely from the increase in prices. In reality, this rise merely exposes a situation that was already present. The layout of the city relies on significant movements.
It is no coincidence that many people live far from their workplaces. This is by design. Santiago has developed in such a way that opportunities are concentrated in specific areas, while daily life is segregated in others, separated by distances that must be covered every day.
In this context, fuel is not just another expense in the family budget; it is a vital component of a system that depends on long-distance travel for its functionality. Therefore, when prices rise, it is not only living costs that increase; an entire model comes under strain.
What emerges is not merely an economic challenge, but a structural fragility. There is a profound dependency on mobility that is not equitably distributed.
Territorial inequality, then, is not just a matter of differing access to services or varying quality of life between neighborhoods; it is a lived experience every day, embodied in the commutes, the accumulated fatigue, the money spent on transport, the inability to return home earlier or spend more time with family. It manifests as a feeling that the city demands too much from its residents.
Additionally, the costs associated with transportation infrastructure, such as toll highways, which are often seen as the only way to shorten travel times, introduce further expenses. Thus, getting around is not only essential but also expensive. For many, it is unavoidable.
Hence, beyond just questioning the price of fuel, we might consider a more fundamental inquiry: Why do we need to move so much just to live in the city? Why are the distances so vast? And who bears the brunt of these challenges?
The rise in fuel prices brings to the forefront the urgent need to reevaluate our city’s layout, to challenge a system that has normalized these distances as if they were an inevitable part of urban life.
Envisioning a more equitable city is not only about improving incomes or increasing services; it also involves questioning our modes of travel, how opportunities are distributed across the territory, and the costs—both literal and figurative—of accessing them. The burden is not only financial; it encompasses time, weariness, and quality of life.
Perhaps the challenge lies in moving towards a city where long distances are not a daily sentence, where proximity is not a privilege, and where mobility does not always entail sacrifice.
A kinder, more integrated city, where the organization does not compel thousands of individuals to bear the weight of a structure that could—and should—be fundamentally different.
Juan Oscar Martínez Barajas
La entrada The High Cost of Commuting: Fuel Prices, City Infrastructure, and Everyday Inequality se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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