Practices of urban walking: ethnographies of walking ‘in action’

Drawing on practice theory and non-representational geography, this article advances the literature on embodied walking by analysing the often-overlooked mundane micro-actions, activities, and things that enable and make up practices and spaces of walking. This article gives a lively non-representational empirical account of how walking activities take place in specific locations, thus trying to unpack how this ‘almost instinctively performed’ practice is accomplished. The first part establishes a theoretical account of what a sensory account of walking practices and spaces must entail. The second part crafts ethnographies of place-specific walking activities. Third, I discuss some common themes regarding walking environments and walking as a sensory practice across three cases, in contrast to running and cycling.