ABSTRACT
Possibilities of being confined exist not only in fixed areas, like the workplace or the home, but also while on the move. This is because even while travelling long distances or daily commutes some people (e.g. see Schivelbusch 1986) “miss” the city in a tunnel-like manner, shut off from the city as they pass it by. Others who travel faster, more expedient, and uninterrupted journeys can also become oblivious to their surroundings, skipping the city voluntarily. Such are examples of the experience of place confinement. On the other hand, the experience of mobility may generate place enlargement. Place enlargement refers to feelings of spatial freedom and the experience of appropriation of spaces. For example, by accessing new and different places and the objects and people that dwell there, places are “enlarged” (Jirón 2008). Place enlargement and confinement are no elective choices. These experiences depend on people’s lifestyles, biographies, social identities, statuses, and roles.
