Mothering Mobilities and Maternalised Landscapes: Towards Mum‐Friendly Cities

ABSTRACT This paper argues for the importance of centring mothers in the design and conceptualisation of ‘care‐full’ and compassionate cities and communities. Focusing primarily on the experiences of pregnancy and early motherhood ‐ particularly in relation to babies and toddlers ‐ it reviews and unites literature on motherhood on the move and ‘caringscapes’, including caring and care‐full cities and compassionate communities. While existing literature on compassionate communities has largely focused on the frail, elderly, and those with disabilities or life‐limiting conditions, this paper highlights the need to also address the specific needs of mothers. It emphasises maternal physical, emotional, and mental health as key considerations in designing care‐full urban environments. The paper advocates for mobility designs that prioritise mothers ‐ whether they are travelling with or without their young children ‐ within the framework of care‐full cities and compassionate communities, aiming to create more mother‐friendly cities that possess distinct qualities beyond those of child‐friendly cities.