Moreira De Souza, T; (2016) Social Interaction in Mixed-Tenure Neighbourhoods: a Comparative Analysis of Housing Regeneration in the UK (England) and in the Netherlands. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

Abstract

For the last two decades, urban regeneration projects in many countries in the Global North have been characterised by physical restructuring, especially in deprived areas where social housing is the predominant tenure. Such interventions promote tenure and housing typology mix with a view that these can create income and ethnic mix and foster more socioeconomically and ethnically diverse local social networks. Drawing from participant observation, semi-structured interviews and self-completion questionnaires, this research explores social interaction in North Peckham — in southeast London (UK) — and the Zuidwest Kwadrant — in Amsterdam Nieuw-West (the Netherlands) —, two areas that have undergone extensive physical restructuring. It seeks to answer whether residents on different housing tenures establish social relations, establish their nature and significance, and investigate to what extent local public spaces facilitate cross-tenure social interaction. The analysis combines the literature on neighbouring (Mann, 1954; Abrams and Bulmer, 1986), social networks and communities (Wellman, 1979), and partially borrows Chaskin and Joseph’s (2011) framework for analysing social interaction in mixed income developments. The findings show that social interaction between neighbours is largely casual, benefits from geographic propinquity, and that a great extent of residents’ local social ties appears to comprise individuals on similar housing tenures. Regarding public spaces and facilities, respondents appear to value and share open green spaces and the main local shopping areas; however, marked differences across tenures were found, especially when local state schools and doctor facilities were examined in the Dutch case study. Such a difference appears to be largely related to practices of cultural and class distinction by middle class residents and as a result of policies that sit outside the remit of planning. As a result, the findings challenge the effectiveness of urban restructuring in promoting cross-tenure interaction, especially of the type which can benefit households on lower incomes.

Download activity - last month

Export as JSONXMLCSV

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as XMLCSVJSON

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as JSONXMLCSV

Archive Staff Only

View Item