On the Nature of Neighbourhood

Abstract

The paper advances the conceptualisation of neighbourhood by specifying it as a bundle of spatially based attributes associated with clusters of residences, sometimes in conjunction with other land uses. There follows a discussion of how this 'composite commodity' de nition relates to the planning challenge of spatially bounding neighbourhood. The paper then probes the myriad idiosyncrasies associated with the concept of neighbourhood: cross-attribute variation in durability and ability to be priced, relativistic evaluations of attributes and consumption impacts on attributes. It discusses how, within this new paradigmatic context, neighbourhoods are produced by the same actors that consume them: households, property owners, business people and local government. Finally, consideration is given to various aspects of the origins and nature of neighbourhood change and it is argued that neighbourhood dynamics are rife with social inef ciencies.

The effect of neighbourhood housing tenure mix on labour market outcomes: a longitudinal investigation of neighbourhood effects

“…Several studies have compared outcomes for different geographical scales and found significant differences (See Buck, 2001;Bolster et al, 2007;Graham et al, 2009). We are aware that there is no one-to-one relationship between administrative areas and neighbourhoods as perceived by residents (see Galster, 2001), but it can be argued that smaller areas come closer to what people may perceive as their neighbourhood than larger areas. We estimated separate models using area level characteristics measured on two geographical scales: CATTs and Output Areas.…”

“…There is much debate on what is the best way to define 'neighbourhoods' using administrative data (Kearns & Parkinson, 2001;Galster, 2001;Manley et al, 2006). Several studies have compared outcomes for different geographical scales and found significant differences (See Buck, 2001;Bolster et al, 2007;Graham et al, 2009).…”

“…An additional problem with existing work on neighbourhood effects is the identification of the appropriate spatial scale of analysis: how to define the relevant neighbourhood level? (Lee et al, 1994;Galster, 2001;Bolster et al, 2007).…”

Individual Health Care System Distrust and Neighborhood Social Environment: How Are They Jointly Associated with Self-rated Health?

“…Firstly, there is no consensus on the definition of a neighborhood. 46 While we used the neighborhood boundaries defined by local planners and policy makers, other areal definitions may alter the calibration of social environment variables and the findings aforementioned may be changed. Secondly, our statistical modeling assumes that individuals are only affected by their residential neighborhood.…”

Place matters: but does local leadership?

“…An equally important determinant of life chances is the quality of local services, and the strategic ability of local public service agencies to tackle social problems and transform places (Buck, 2001;Galster, 2001). Whilst the spatial relationship between the social problems and the quantity of local services has received notable attention (e.g.…”