| This dissertation focuses on the relationship between the mobility constraints that low-income families face in their acquisition of food and other household goods and the coping strategies that they develop for these routine tasks of household maintenance, otherwise referred to as household provisioning. The aim of this investigation is to develop a clearer picture of the mobility constraints confronting poor working families, the strategies that they employ to gain mobility as they pursue their household provisioning activities and the characteristics of their ensuing travel.; The research design incorporates two different and distinct approaches. First, an extensive regional travel diary data set for the Austin, TX metropolitan area is analyzed to discern any differences in the travel patterns among and between income groups. Second, the motivations and rationale behind the travel and provisioning choices of the working poor and the resources available are examined more closely by means of a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with members of twenty-six low-income households residing in the Austin, Texas metropolitan area. Study participants discussed their various responsibilities, constraints, preferences, choices, and coping strategies.; The research findings show that low-income households have shorter travel distances, longer travel times, and fewer trips. In as much as mobility can be equated with access, the bounded spatial movements of low-income households, as evidenced by shorter total travel distances and fewer trips, suggest that the poor may have a more difficult time regularly accessing food and other goods and services for the household. The ways that poor households cope with their mobility and economic disadvantage are complex, logical, and varied, depend on their resources and circumstances, and must be flexible to deal with day-to-day occurrences. Mobility and provisioning strategies are devised to offset their many constraints that shape everyday life and influence the decision making process, defining problems and the means available to ameliorate them. Often, the uncertainty of unreliable transportation and the instability of household income and other resources prevent these strategies from gaining permanence. This lack of assurance results in unmet needs, missed opportunities, higher costs, greater time constraints, and ultimately, economic insecurity. |
