Theaters of Neighborhood Life: A Case Study in Systematically Comparing the Social Character of Urban Areas

• In Event: 4233 - Urban Sociology

Abstract

We draw on previous studies to develop the simplest possible theory of the lived character of neighborhood life. We introduce a series of descriptive inquiries about scenes of neighborhood life and another about experiences of being seen in a local area, and we offer additional dimensions to distinguish how scenes are perceived and being seen is experienced differently by newcomers and by long-time residents. Using participant observation, historical research, and biographical interviews from a study of six proximate, demographically and culturally contrasting urban areas, we demonstrate how the distinctively lived character of each neighborhood can be located and specified when our framework is applied comparatively.

Authors

• Jack Katz, Univ of California-Los Angeles

• Peter R. Ibarra, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Maggie Kusenbach, University of South Florida

• Kyle Nelson, UCLA