Understanding Neighborhood Continuity

• In Event: 1451 - Community and Urban Sociology Section Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 10. Neighborhood (In)Stability

Abstract

Within urban and community sociology, much emphasis is placed on neighborhood transitions and transformations, whether processes of economic decline and abandonment, or of reinvestment and gentrification. This is understandable, given the impacts of change on vulnerable residents. Yet many neighborhoods do not change dramatically over time – their built environments, demographic compositions, distinct cultures, and positions in local hierarchies of places endure for decades. Existing literature acknowledges this (Delmelle 2017; Solari 2012), calling for attention to the mechanisms by which neighborhood stability is accomplished. Drawing upon scholarship in urban sociology as well as a case study of one Jacksonville, Florida neighborhood, this paper provides a model for understanding neighborhood continuity attentive to the roles of structural, organizational, symbolic and interactional domains. Continuity, it argues, should be understood as resulting from active work across these domains – not from a lack of action or attention. Discussion and conclusions consider this model’s applicability to other types of neighborhoods and contexts.

Author

• Krista E. Paulsen, Boise State University