A dynamic sense of home: Spatio-temporal aspects of mobility of young Tokyo residents

Abstract

In highly industrialized and institutionalized societies aiming for maximum efficiency, individual activities must be synchronized with the daily rhythms of a city. As a spatial and institutional realm, the city imposes on people and influences their level of attachment, consequently altering their sense of home. This is most obvious in contemporary cities, where daily life involves movement, and where rest is often sought outside the living place, while on the move. By examining the spatial and temporal aspects of mobility of young Tokyo residents, this article explores how their sense of home and levels of attachment to the physical environment are affected by the city. It reveals a dynamic sense of home in which routes are more significant than roots and in which attachment is not restricted to a single location. Instead, it is understood as attachment to temporal and spatial relationships produced by the activities of people and institutions.