Can regenerated inner-city areas remain sites of public-place sociability? Psycho-social processes predicting public sociability in a changing neighbourhood

Bettencourt, Leonor; Castro, Paula and Dixon, John (2021). Can regenerated inner-city areas remain sites of public-place sociability? Psycho-social processes predicting public sociability in a changing neighbourhood. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 31(1) pp. 9–25.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2480

Abstract

The processes of urban regeneration of long-disinvested inner-city neighbourhoods today happening in many European cities sometimes dramatically transform residents’ traditional uses of their public places. Focusing on a neighbourhood renowned for its traditional public place sociability – Mouraria, in Lisbon - this study explored the psychosocial processes that may shape the maintenance of that sociability in the face of increasing social diversification and small-scale gentrification brought about by a mixed/bottom-up regeneration plan. A questionnaire survey (n=201) with two types of residents (‘traditional residents’ and ‘new gentrifiers’) indicated that: a) both types report using Mouraria’s public places for socializing, although traditional residents do so to a greater degree; b) perceived cultural continuity of the neighbourhood is positively related to public place sociability for both groups; and c) this relationship is mediated by both place identification and place knowledge; but d) it is not moderated by type of resident. By implication, we argue that regenerated inner-city neighbourhoods may remain as places of lively public sociability and companionship if residents are able to forge and/or retain a sense of identification with, and intimate knowledge of, the neighbourhood, and view it as maintaining continuity with the past.

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About

• Item ORO ID
• 71739
• Item Type
• Journal Item
• ISSN
• 1099-1298
• Project Funding Details

• Funded Project Name	Project ID	Funding Body
  Not Set	PD/BD/114075/2015	FCT - Fundaç~ao para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

• Keywords
• inner-city neighbourhood; perceived cultural continuity; place identification; place knowledge; public place sociability; regeneration
• Academic Unit or School
• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) > Psychology and Counselling > Psychology
  Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) > Psychology and Counselling
  Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)
• Copyright Holders
• © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
• Depositing User
• John Dixon