Setting the Stage: The Use of Public Space in the Performance of Neighborhood Identity

• In Event: 189 - Section on Community and Urban Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 02. Conceptualizing Community

Abstract

There is a small, but distinct class of middle class, urban neighborhoods known for their diversity, countercultural commerce, left-leaning residents, attractive architecture, and green space. It takes a great deal of energy to maintain these neighborhood reputations and to sustain affection for them over time. This article sheds light on one dimension of this reputation management process: how neighborhood identity is collectively imagined and performed through the social construction of public space. Drawing on three years of ethnographic observations in the socially diverse, middle class Philadelphia neighborhood of Mt. Airy, I show how two public spaces within one urban neighborhood, characterized by distinct ecological and symbolic features, collectively work toward the goal of maintaining the neighborhood’s progressive identity. This case highlights how the middle class’ increased interest in urban life may modify the city’s cultural landscape and require a renewed sociological perspective.

Author

• Sarah Zelner, University of Pennsylvania