City, community

and
neighbourhood
 10/22/2020 2

Q&A
● Prof, can you explain the meaning of "poverty traps" ? Is it
good or bad?
● POVERTY CYCLE
 10/22/2020 3

● Also, what is the "clear-up rate" mean? (this term appear

when talking about 'Socio-spatial Separation/ Segregation' in
developed countries.
“the percentage of criminals caught by the police, compared
to the total number of crimes reported”
 4

Themes/issues
●Exploring social change as neighbourhood change
●What is neighbourhood? What is community?
●Community lost?
●Social capital, community and neighbourhood
●Neighbourhood and community in Hong Kong
●So does neighbourhood matter these days?

https://youtu.be/YA45UBu5cJM
 10/22/2020 5

Neighborhood Revitalization through

Culture, Community, and Creativity
●Highly debated but enduring concepts in urban
sociology
●Links to previous two lectures on poverty, social
exclusion, deprivation
●Links to lecture on gentrification

➢Community as a social concept?

➢Neighbourhood as a spatial concept?
➢What about ‘neighbouring’? (social and spatial?)
➢Problems of translation/cultural specificity
➢Words often used interchangeably
 10/22/2020 7

● Community
• Geographical expression
• A local social system
• Human relationship
• Community as ideology
• Reflective community “we” rather than “I”

• Neighborhood (Spatial)
 10/22/2020 8

● Home: “Gender role” Women’s participation in the labour

market
● “Dual career” family
● Feminist critiques: “violence & oppression at home”
● Young people: staying with parents longer + problems to
entering house market
 10/22/2020 9

● Home office
● The technology is being sold as giving the individual greater
control over their lives and activities
● It could also lead greater dependency on IT
● It could create a further division between those with access to
technology and those without as well as encouraging less
interaction between neighbours and even household members.
 10/22/2020 10

● Weber & Durkheim: macro perspective

● Simmel: micro perspective (social life, the nature of social
relationships)
 10/22/2020 11

● Greater size=greater range + complexity of relationships

● The replacement of more informal ways of relating with more
formal ones
● Creating diversity (shift from primary relations, family to
secondary once=more segmented relations through formal
associations)
 Why the interest in neighbourhoods?
●The neighbourhood as local community, everyday
life

● The ‘eyes on the street’ of the densely populated

city (Jane Jacobs)

●Longstanding interest in the social life of

neighbourhoods in relation to non-mainstream
social behaviour, peer group effects and deviancy

●Segregation and exclusion, ghettos, ethnic

enclaves

●Neighbourhood effects
 The ‘local’ as a social laboratory 10/22/2020 13

● “ community studies can reveal the local expression of macro-

social forces and their impact on ordinary people`s everyday
activities as they are lived out in the locality” (Crow,2002)

● The rise, fall and rise again of local community studies-regarded

as undertheorised in the 1960s and 1970s then revival in
response to criticisms of ‘data free sociology’ and renewed
interest in culture, local difference, urban social movements,
human agency
………the sociology of community has been characterised by 'a
body of theory which constantly predicts the collapse of
community and... a body of empirical studies which finds
community alive and well' (Abrams 1984: 16)
So what is a
10/22/2020 14
‘neighbourhood’?

Kearns and Paddison, 2002)

● Administrative definition of neighbourhood-eg. District boundary
● Functional-local shops, local school, within 5 minutes walk of home
● Cognitive-mental maps, variation by age, household structure etc.
 Problems in translation?

The translation of the term “neighbourhood” is somewhat problematic in

Chinese. Whilst the direct translation of “linlin” is often employed, the word
literally refers to your close neighbours whose origin can be traced to the
traditional household registration system of grouping five households to form a
‘lin” and twenty five households to form a ‘li’]. It is thus difficult to differentiate
neighbour and neighbourhood in Chinese. Jankowiak also observes that
Chinese have a very narrow sense of neighbourhood and that “the defining
criteria [of neighbourhood] was not an abstract notion of space, but specific
relationships to recognized (renshi) households”[.This may refer to a few
households adjacent to one’s home or simply neighbours on the same floor in a
multi-storey building.
 10/22/2020 16

What is mental map?

● Subjective + objective
Mental Maps of Neighbourhood
10/22/2020 18
Guangzhou-conceptions of
neighbourhood

% Older urban area Work Unit area Commodified

housing area
This block 9 24 29
This small community 43 65 53
The streets nearby 41 4 6
This district 6 5 9
Other 2 3 7
N= 165 345 316
2
c = 171 df = 8 p<0.01

Source: Guangzhou survey

Forrest and Yip
Castells on neighbourhood and community

People socialize and interact in their local environment

be it in the village, in the city, or in the suburb, and they
build social networks among their neighbours. On the
other hand, locally based identities intersect with other
sources of meaning and social recognition…….

People resist the process of individualization and social

atomization, and tend to cluster in community organizations
that over time, generate a feeling of belonging, and
ultimately, in many cases, a communal, cultural identity.

(Castells, The Power of Identity,1997,60)

 Community and social cohesion
●What binds us together-what are the key
ingredients of this social glue? What is society?

●‘Community lost’-more mobility, the virtual world,

work/residence less closely connected etc.

●Are the old ingredients (eg family, religion, formal

political groups, shared ideologies etc.) no longer
doing the job they once did?

●The stresses and strains of modernisation, the

knowledge based economy, the digital age, greater
diversity, multiple identities, multiculturism etc.
●Rising crime rates, family breakdown

●Many of these stresses and strains coming together

in particular places-the kinds of neighbourhoods
often referred to as ‘socially excluded’ -problems of
deeply entrenched pockets of poverty,
unemployment and deviant social behaviour
(Maggie`s lecture)

●Often, apparent failure of policies and investments to

improve these places
 Neighbourhood change and
neighbourhood cohesion
●Turnover

●Tipping points

●Social mix -eg. housing tenure, ethnicity, life

course

●Resource rich/resource poor local networks

●Peer effects-delinquent gangs, the ‘sharp elbows’

of the middle class?
●The context effects of neighbourhoods- exerting an
independent effect on e.g. health outcomes,
educational attainment?

●Design and general environment could affect level

and quality of local social interaction

●The ‘reputation’ of areas-stigma, labelling…for

example, where you live affecting your job
opportunities?
 Where does social capital come into
this and what does it mean?
“By analogy with notions of physical capital and human
capital…social capital refers to features of social
organisation such as networks, norms and trust that
facilitate co-ordination and co-operation for mutual
benefit. Social capital enhances the benefits of
investment in physical and human capital”
Putnam (1993)
●And note use by Jane Jacobs in relation to older,
densely populated neighbourhoods
 10/22/2020 26

● “connections among individuals – social networks and the

norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from
them.”” (Putnam, 1995, p. 67).
● Individual component: individual component (social
relationships and reciprocity
● collective component (trust and social cohesion)
● Important aspects of social capital include interpersonal
relationships with family, friends, colleagues, relatives and
neighbors, formal and informal social networks, group
membership and trust, reciprocity and civic engagement.
●Robert Putnam key populariser of this concept-
particularly in relation to perceived decline of
associational activity and its consequences-
‘Bowling Alone’- decline of trust and civic
engagement in the USA

●Social cohesion from the bottom up-the locally

engaged and active are socially engaged citizens

●Implication that investment in local areas (housing,

health, crime initiatives) more likely to be
successful in communities with strong ‘social
capital’-added value…

●Very influential
Eg.Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowlingwith urban
alone: America’s policymakers
declining social capital. In Culture and politics (pp. 223-
234). Palgrave Macmillan US.
 10/22/2020 28

“Weakened social capital is

manifest in the things that
have vanished almost
unnoticed-neighbourhood
parties and get-togethers
with friends, the unreflective
kindness of strangers, the
shared pursuit of the public
good rather than a solitary
quest for private goods”
(Putnam, 2000,403)
 Bonding and bridging social capital

●Key distinction between bonding (eg. kinship,

ethnic group) and bridging (weaker, cross cutting,
the social ‘oil’) social capital-eg acquaintanceship,
the casual hello
●A neighbourhood/local community could have
strong ties but be inward looking-suspicion of
strangers, introverted
●Neighbourhood with weaker ties could be more
outward looking and connected to the world beyond

See seminal piece: Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength

of weak ties. American journal of sociology, 78(6), 1360-
1380.
The dimensions of social capital—the possible
ingredients of a cohesive community?
DIMENSIONS
Empowerment
DESCRIPTION
People feel they are listened to; are involved in processes
that affect them; can take action to initiate changes.

Participation People take part in social and community activities. Local

events occur and are well attended.

Associational Activity and People co-operate with one another through the formation
of formal and informal groups to further their interests.
Common Purpose
Supporting networks and Individuals and organisations co-operate to support one
another for either mutual or one-sided gain. expectation
reciprocity that help would be given or received when needed.

Collective norms and values People share common values and norms of behaviour

Trust People feel they can trust their co-residents and local
organisations.

Safety People feel safe in their neighbourhood, and are not

restricted in their use of public space by fear.

Belonging People feel connected to their co-residents, their home

area, have a sense of belonging to the place and its
people.
Source: Forrest and Kearns, 2001
 10/22/2020 31

Neighborhood-based social
capital
● There is a decline of “local community” sense/
● Why?
 10/22/2020 32

● On the other hand, neighborhood-based social capital is still

seen important.
● Comfort, security, sense of belonging

● Although neighbors are often not part of an inner circle and

are considered “weak” ties (Henning & Lieberg, 1996; cf.
Granovetter, 1973), almost 20% of people’s individual social
networks are still neighborhood based (Mollenhorst, 2015)
And what's so good about social capital ?
It has been argued that it…..
●Increases employment opportunities – ‘bridging’
capital

●Improves educational attainment - local culture of

learning

●Reduces crime - community sanctions

●Improves health-’low stress’ neighbourhoods, more

social support

●Increases civic involvement

 But is it all positive?
●‘crony capitalism’- e.g. corruption, nepotism

●Hostile and tightly knit neighbourhoods-cohesive

neighbourhoods but divided cities?

●Suspicion rather than trust-exclusionary rather than

inclusionary- e.g. vigilantism

●Gang culture

●And note view that people may still associate but for
negative/defensive reasons (ie protect property
values, neighbourhood watch) (Frances Fukayama,
 10/22/2020 35

What about
neighbourhood and
community in Hong
Kong/Guangdong?
●High rise, high density
●Unemotional relationship with our residence?
Investment not a home?
●The past more or less eradicated….so no
historic/nostalgic landmarks..it all looks the
same???
●Popular view that ‘neighbours’ and ‘neighbouring’
not important in HK?
 Do you think your neighbourhood has
its own character compared to other
neighbourhoods in …?

Hong Kong Gaungzhou

OLDER NEW MIDDLE OLDER WORK COMM.
URBAN TOWN CLASS URBAN UNIT AREA
AREA ESTATE AREA AREA

Yes 28 35 34 60 36 40
No 72 65 66 40 64 60
Commitment and Sense of Belonging

Hong Kong Gaungzhou

Percentage of OLDER NEW MIDDLE OLDER WORK COMM.
respondents who URBAN TOWN CLASS URBAN UNIT AREA
agree/strongly agree: AREA ESTATE AREA AREA

Feel they belong to 41 54 58 73 65 58

this n’nood
Feel loyal the people 41 44 41 66 67 53
in the n’hood
Living in this n’hood 40 48 47 76 73 60
gives them a sense of
community
This is a very good 27 54 59 52 43 49
place to live
 Active Neighbouring and Mutual Aid

Hong Kong Gaungzhou

Percentage of respondents OLDER NEW MIDDLE OLDER WORK COMM.
who : URBAN TOWN CLASS URBAN UNIT AREA
AREA ESTATE AREA AREA
Regularly/sometimes 31 38 35 33 21 15
done favour for a n’bour
in last 6 months
Regularly/sometimes 24 37 30 32 20 12
had received favour in
last 6 months
Feel could ask favour if 81 80 91 76 75 71
ill in bed
Feel could ask for help if 84 79 91 68 67 69
locked out
Socialising at home and Whether it`s Us or
Them

Hong Kong Gaungzhou

Percentage of respondents OLDER NEW MIDDLE OLDER WORK COMM.
who : URBAN TOWN CLASS URBAN UNIT AREA
AREA ESTATE AREA AREA

Agree that ‘If people in 30 33 32 51 56 57

n’hood were planning
something would think of
it as something ‘we’ were
doing rather than ‘they’

Regularly/sometimes 20 25 17 49 40 37
visit neighbours in their
homes
 Trust and Neighbourliness
Hong Kong Gaungzhou
Percentage of respondents OLDER NEW MIDDLE OLDER WORK COMM.
who: URBAN TOWN CLASS URBAN UNIT AREA
AREA ESTATE AREA AREA
Trust most/many people 23 37 23 73 55 33
in their n’ hood
Know most/many people 33 42 19 76 68 37
in their n’hood
Strongly agree/agree that 78 86 86 87 78 77
people in this n’hood look
out for each other
Strongly agree/agree that 42 45 28 75 67 49
it is easy to make friends
in the n’hood
 Safe Neighbourhoods?

Hong Kong Gaungzhou

Percentage of respondents OLDER NEW MIDDLE OLDER WORK COMM.
who : URBAN TOWN CLASS URBAN UNIT AREA
AREA ESTATE AREA AREA

Feel very/quite safe 72 91 98 83 86 84

walking alone in n’hood
during the day

Feel very/quite safe 50 65 92 64 78 68

walking alone in n’hood
after dark
 Age, Sense of Belonging and Friendship
Hong Kong Guangzhou

Have friends in Strong sense of Have friends Strong sense

n,hood belonging in n’hood of belonging
Age

18-24 53 27

25-29 41 28 62 51
30-39 54 38 65 42
40-49 53 48 65 48
50-59 50 48 66 52
60 and over 34 53 67 53
 Neighbouring: Shenzhen, Guangzhou and
Hong Kong Compared
Means (5 Strongly Agree to 1-Strongly Disagree) ANOVA,
P-value

Statement Shenzhen Guang Hon Between 3

(N=1007) zhou g groups
(N=812) Kon differences
g
(N=12
00)

I visit my neighbours in 2.98 3.07 2.54 .002 *

their homes
If I needed advice about 3.42 3.45 2.95 .205
something I could go to
someone in my neighbourhood
I believe my neighbours 3.64 3.88 3.59 .087
would help me in an
emergency
I borrow things and 3.27 3.38 2.87 .022 *
exchange favours with my
neighbours
LIVING IN THIS NEIGHBOURHOOD 45

GIVES ME A STRONG SENSE OF

COMMUNITY
● In Hong Kong the older urban area closer to ‘zone of
transition’ model-low income migrants, high turnover not
settled, close community
● It is the resource rich, middle class estate which generally
scores highest on measures of neighbourliness, sense of
belonging etc-but belonging as status/distinction?
● HK does appear to have lower sense of local spatial
belonging etc but contradictory findings (eg. Active
neighbouring apparently quite high)
47
●But some argue that little has changed……
“differentiation by neighbourhood is not only
everywhere to be seen, but that it has durable
properties-with cultural and social mechanisms of
reproduction-and with effects that span a wide
variety of social phenomena”(Sampson, Great
American City,2012)

●Needs, habits and behaviour change over the life

course and as our personal circumstances
change…eg.compare the young single professional
to the family with young children

●And neighbourhood may be most important for the

most disadvantaged-the unemployed, poor elderly
people etc.
 So…does neighbourhood matter 10/22/2020 49

much these days?

●In most societies the local neighbourhood seems to
have become less important (or at least is only one of a
number of ‘sites’ in terms of where socialising occurs,
where identities are formed…eg, the workplace,the
world beyond, virtual space)
●But perhaps more significant in relation to social status
and social identity?
“One`s residence is a crucial, possibly the crucial,
identifier of who you are.”(Savage et. al.,2005)
And Governments focus on place-based
strategies for tackling social problems, 50

deprivation,poverty etc
 10/22/2020 51

And consider….
●The difference between neighbourhood and
community?-tend to be used interchangeably,
linguistic and cultural differences
●Social ‘tectonics’-different groups live in the same
neighbourhood but occupy different worlds?
●Neighbourhoods without neighbouring?
●Big data, neighbourhood classifications and more
clustering of similar kinds of people-more
homogeneous neighbourhoods? (more next week)
 10/22/2020 52

The ‘problem’ of gated communities

and social mix
Beijing’s well-to-do angry
as housing law forces them
A social housing policy which is literally
to mingle with poorer
tearing down barriers between
neighbours Beijing’s haves and have-nots is
causing outrage among the city’s well-
heeled residents.
A ban on partitions within communities
means some wealthy homeowners are
having to share their exclusive facilities
with their less affluent neighbours
(SCMP, 5.9.17)
 Catalonia’s fight is driven by a 53

passion for neighbourhood, not

nationhood
Guardian, 16.10.17.

The referendum wasn’t a spontaneous happening,

it was the result of a neighbourhood solidarity that
will outlast any constitutional settlement

The wide range of different political groups in those

communities have displayed an incredibly mature
approach that is committed to the neighbourhood,
rather than the nation, as the focal point for action. It
is this commitment that ensured high level of
involvement from women’s collectives, migrant
solidarity groups, independent trade unions,
autonomists, anarchists and the social centres.
 10/22/2020 54

Most people live in narrow

‘gemeinschaftlich’ worlds of
neighbourhood and kin.
Cosmopolitan intellectuals
seem all too ready to forget or
to deny the smallscale
domesticity of most people’s
lives (Pahl, 1991)
 10/22/2020 55

Online class discussion

● Based on your own observation, in HK, can we talk about the
importance of neighborhood (neighborhood-based social
capital) and community?