Neighboring in Context: The Role of Dwelling Type in High-Poverty Neighborhoods

• In Event: 189 - Section on Community and Urban Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 07. Neighborhood Attachment, Social Cohesion and Social Capital

Abstract

Sociologists have long studied the social ties of residents in high-poverty places. Debate persists over the extent to which the classic image of intimate, fictive kinships between neighbors holds true. This paper argues for a deeper consideration of how neighboring practices and beliefs shift given the specific residential context in which people live: high-rise public housing building, low-rise apartment building, or detached, single-family house. Drawing on fieldwork and in-depth interviews with 36 residents in two high-poverty neighborhoods, results show that neighboring practices and beliefs about neighboring differ by dwelling type. While residents in each housing type report similar levels of intimacy with their neighbors, the frequency of interactions and beliefs about initiating relationships with one another differ. High-rise public housing residents living in densely populated buildings have frequent interactions with one another, but perceive these relationships as potentially problematic and necessary to curtail. In contrast, living in areas of less density with a different set of local threats, residents of houses and low-rise apartments had less frequent interactions with their neighbors, but actively worked to establish and maintain positive relationships as an important safety strategy. These results underscore the need for a more careful consideration of how dwelling types influence neighboring practices and beliefs.

Author

• Sarah Seelye, University of Michigan