Belonging in/to the neighbourhood
Topics:
Keywords: social infrastructure, social cohesion, neighbourhood
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract
Authors:
Peter Dirksmeier, Leibniz Universität Hannover
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Abstract
What role does the social infrastructure of a neighbourhood play in identification with the neighbour-hood? Research on neighbourhoods repeatedly focuses on the great importance of identification and feeling of belonging, for example, for neighbourly commitment. This identification appears to be a basic prerequisite for lively, liveable neighbourhoods. The paper poses the question of whether this attach-ment to the neighbourhood is essentially rooted in the provision of neighbourhood space with social infrastructure. The research thesis sees social cohesion as a crucial link between belonging on the one hand and social infrastructure on the other. Do we find an interdependence of belonging and opportu-nities for social interaction and social cohesion, or is belonging rather derived from entitlements, sym-bolic meanings, or family histories, to name just a few conceivable determinants? The paper uses a new multi-level regional dataset to analyse indicators of belonging and identification with the neighbour-hood at different scale levels simultaneously. In particular, the analysis tests the interaction of social cohesion as an often mentioned explanatory variable for connectedness with social infrastructure as a new, much-noticed determinant in urban social geography. The paper concludes by placing the findings obtained in the current research front of social geographic cohesion and belonging research to contrib-ute to the progress in understanding neighbourhoods as social entities.
Belonging in/to the neighbourhood
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Paper Abstract