“The Councilors are the Ones to Blame”: The Symbolic Reproduction of Territorial Boundaries Created by Policy and Planning Decisions

Abstract

This study draws upon cognitive maps and interviews with 57 residents living in two diverse areas of Porto, Portugal, to examine how individuals’ symbolic neighborhood boundaries reflect policy and planning decisions, and the implications of recognizing the role of government in the creation of territorial divisions and inequality. The study shows that residents’ subjective neighborhood constructions reproduce political territorial practices and representations. Awareness of the political origins of territory discourages residents from constructing their neighborhoods in alternative ways. Drawing on the concepts of symbolic and social boundaries, the study sheds light on the persistence and contestation of unjust territories.