Maintaining Stability in an Unstable Environment: Resident Responses to Neighborhood Change in Cleveland, Ohio

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

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify various creative strategies that residents use(d) to maintain a life for themselves in the face of neighborhood change and urban decline in Cleveland, Ohio. More specifically it explored factors that shape when residents respond to neighborhood change and decline and how they respond.
Methods: The sample consisted of older, African American women (60+ years) who have aged in place in Cleveland since the 1950s. Ethnographic observations took place within and around two neighborhood senior centers over the course of 6 years (2012 to 2018). Additionally, in-depth, life history interviews were conducted with 12 women who were members of the senior centers. Grounded Theory coding techniques were applied to identify themes reflecting distinct ways in which participants dealt with neighborhood change and decline over the life course.
Findings: The women in this study engaged in strategies of response when neighborhood change began to disrupt their daily routines. Three themes depicting strategies of response to neighborhood change emerged from the data: 1) “action-oriented” responses (e.g. doing something about it), 2) “mind/emotional” responses (e.g. denying that a problem exists), and 3) “religious/spiritual” responses (e.g. the Lord will take care of it, God has a plan for me).
Conclusions: Many of the responses that the women adopted were related to the interplay of biographical disruptions (e.g. turning points) and changes in neighborhood conditions. The results of this study are important because they showcase that the interconnection between biography and social conditions not only shapes when individuals respond to neighborhood change and decline, but how they respond to this change and decline.

Author

• Kaitlyn Barnes Langendoerfer, Case Western Reserve University