The contribution of mobilities to the social sustainability of rural areas in a context of crisis: structural conditions, social diversity and inequalities

The Spanish rural population has remained stable in absolute terms since the 1990s. Different factors explain this relatively resilient behavior: residential moves, commuting, international migration flows, improvement of transport and communication infrastructures, private automobility, etc. The mobility of people, capital, and services is a transversal element to all these factors that draws new social landscapes. Therefore, this paper addresses the issue of mobility in the context of crisis and post-crisis, questioning the role of different structural conditions of the territory. The objective is to explore the role of such conditions in explaining residential and mobility strategies, many of them developed as a result of adaptative practices, linked to the recession effects. A comparative research has been carried out between a rural mountain area and a peri-urban one. The results show a great diversity of discourses regarding different perceptions of the crisis and distinct mobility strategies as a resource to achieve greater well-being. These reveal remarkable inequalities. Thus, even though territorial conditions constrain everyday life, age, gender and social position appear as key elements in relation to personal and social autonomy or vulnerability, which can even transcend those structural differences.