Afterword: Moving Along

In Kevin Lynch's (1960) classic formulation of the image city, he asks us to think about urban environments as a series topographic registers on landscape, from monuments mountains, paths edges, nodes, and junctions. There is human element this vision, with its concentrations convergences in social space; hangout value street corner or how cut railway marks off cultural district. However, these can also seem static. The city laid out (Lynch was an planner after all) people move within gridlines. authors articles special section—Samprati Pani, Annemiek Prins, Catherine Earl, Nikolaos Olma—posit different imagining city: diverse forms mobility, understood sensorially. These are ethnographies attuned movement bodies through space, where itself. This sensorial approach highlights particular relationship between society by focusing daily practices mobility their repetition space—practices that individual begin body but have social, political, resonances ultimately forms. make grooves landscape shape people's lives. I experiential key “the moving city,” idea developed my own research Delhi's new metro rail system reorders city's (Sadana, 2022). reordering not only due physical imposition lines stations because itineraries being forged followed millions riders. Similarly, section, readers treated range ethnographic engagements they cultivate pathways. Each author begins showcasing form mobility—walking, cycle-rickshaw driving, experiencing traffic, taxi driving—as historically materially situated Asian context. “Asia” here place continent more than area, concept, geopolitical monolith. nothing cohesive Asia there shared characteristics across public spaces. four span Central, South, Southeast Asia, cities Tashkent, Delhi, Dhaka, Ho Chi Minh City, located nation-states Uzbekistan, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, respectively. places population densities climates, though all imbued colonial imperial histories, postcolonial built environments, recent economic liberalizations, resulting rising middle classes, persistent entrenched inequalities, changing mobilities. cities’ infrastructures reflect “mobility regimes” composed “norms rules movement, behavior, conduct” (Sheller, 2018, 95), yet going here, interstices norms rules. Samprati Pani's article bazaar-going women historic Nizamuddin neighborhood Delhi takes ordinary practice local outdoor shopping compelling case for low-income, Muslim produce space feet. They do merely go bazaar, walk around it repetitive manner interacting shopkeepers, traders, other shoppers. bazaar extension home-making activities, described purpose things buy families, serendipity, community, city-making, “a detour spurs detours.” Pani reminds linguistic connection “city” “citizen” without into grand narrative citizenship. both lighter relevant take street. she talks waiting male relations (who often hold purse-strings) nor state tell them be go. basti (low-income neighborhood), all, exactly see it. What sees creative political dimensions routine. intersects cross-class metro, which connects many bazaars including Nizamuddin's. provides gendered especially designated women-only coach featured each train. But globalized multiple localities throughout moves hyper-modern government-made infrastructure. local, seen women's homes. Sometimes even watch doorsteps days cannot shows proximity liberating. You traverse much transformative. intimacy refuses private distinctions curtail particular. No one watches cares perambulations basti, “boundaries leisure necessity blurred” very walking. Prins city-wide frame her drivers Dhaka. As cities, Dhaka cycle rickshaw at lower end transport hierarchy, considered outmoded regressive planners elites, clogs streets conjures inhumane pulling another. emphasizes drivers’ perspectives labor why it: “instant cash” manage rural lives (families send money to) while accessing mobility. That access requires enter bottom hierarchy cruel logic urban-rural continuum. city—Prins tells rickshaws so pervasive imagine them—and timescape transport, nonstop always moving, when jam. like set soon, wonder what will mean drivers. were similarly anti-modern until came hundreds stations. Commuters needed last-mile connectivity never before seemed fit bill perfectly since could lined up still pressure, phase out. If global, does jostling alongside it? would argue issue imagined whom. metro's real simply gleaming stand-alone object, rather part integrated options. Yet two contrasting visions exist side side, implications planning, among things. Every major India now vies system, whereas cheaper bus rapid systems less support. Cities some cases replanned costly extensive enough warrant expense. Closer ground, electric taking rickshaws. Whether regime points precarity livelihoods. Earl's dwells whole offers unique analysis components traffic consideration City. Earl draws avant-garde musical concepts way regard trope chaotic disorderly Global South “an alternate modality conceptualizing mega-urban mobilities.” account movements fall outside manufactured flows, cooperation implemented plans trial error. method may create brute speed brisk pace instead proceeds tempo gets you want Here adaptation cause dissonance lead reintegration—think marathon runners dancers. looks chaos has rhythm. By drawing parallel sound portrait includes cacophonous aberration distraction. kind sensory anthropology deepens our environment thickens descriptions it, that. “rhythmanalysis” makes understand congestion composed. And composition “challenges structures” “destabilizes universality.” So, just seeing hearing physically imbibing alternative movements. articulates something we regularly get immersed traffic) know: It look chaotic, somehow system” works, harmony own, transgresses or, perhaps, so. “negotiation, coordination, collaboration, mutual actors streets.” highlighting avant-garde, breaks down elements flows. rhythm offering co-produced, differentiated, multi-layered, overlapping polyrhythmic.” One most repeated phrases heard commuters predict travel times trains showed up. had predictable another layer other, less-predictable forms, (because size reach) overall stabilizing effect who use bulk journeys. Olma question concept orientiry, Russian word “landmark” Tashkent describe give directions. saying, “Take right 5th three blocks Broadway,” might say, me X hotel, Y restaurant, Z café, station, park, market.” any those places, need vicinity them. shorthand communicate your driver. interested cognitive landmarks people, “orientiry result dynamic interaction environment.” Orientiry tend feelings about, creating “images stay people.” proliferation images spatial production reflective time. Depending moved (especially terms migrants sizable portion Tashkent's drivers) one's age big orientiry change over experiences memories hotel restaurant no longer exists collective psyche remain orientiry. Olma's depiction made used feel getting Delhi. Before came, took auto around, years learned orienting language usually did know names changed post-Soviet era, Delhi-road went British Indian sometimes Hindu. partly bottom-up practice, individuals contribute reaffirm wayfinding. indicates power surround naming remembering practices. chiefly, mechanism greater city. informal reflects upper hand. Nizamuddin, repetition, walking, usual taxis. wayfinding enables reach reservoir knowledge produced practices, verbal infrastructure, communicated again again. elucidation helps process. Though, everyone equal ways knowing ethnic, linguistic, class divides middle-class, Russian-speaking Tashkenteres top hierarchy;” entry points, such migrant “pretending city” making geography difference.” pretending improvisational aspect discussed section. section demonstrates, offer conceptualize bodily senses. inclusive critical capacity locate dynamics interstitial spaces reveal somewhat elastic; contributed ground-up manner, driven. contribution generates ones foreground circulation experience. elasticity precisely inconsistencies contingencies movements, based coming life. elastic infrastructures, experience along creates unexpected smoothness friction—in course stretch. Even denseness, population, manipulated density bazaars, intersect mobilities overlap. intersection overlap highlight positioned toward seat taxi. variety vehicles, widths roads, intersections by-lanes, flyovers, highways, indoor activities merge uneven, traversing Mobility stuck (Hage, 2009). People wait passengers, train, outside. infinitesimal shift feeling time regarded framed host factors. goes against belonging, connection, promise inspire, Ghassan Hage (2009) calls “existential mobility.” Navigating shows, existential sensorial. How walk, drive, informs being. Meanwhile, stuck—on road, life—is push pull speediness slowness Velocity gives ideas. true authors’ comings goings seek flows study. ride taxis, buses, metros, scooters, motorbikes, more, trips linked include university campuses airport infrastructures. become regular feature ethnographies. multi-sited ethnography following countries, ports, (and things) everyday studying must radically multi-sited. well-suited documenting analyzing should participant observation, seems little sedentary comparison. mobile ethnography, participants observations negotiation sensing detecting rhythms. perhaps inherent contradiction We fix identify, holding language. With goal along, varying speeds.