Roots and routes in neighbourhoods. Length of residence, belonging and public familiarity in Berlin, Germany

Abstract

Urban scholars commonly expect that residents show more neighbourhood belonging, the longer they live in an area. An imagery of fixed settlements thus remains dominant in a rapidly changing world. Recent research challenged classic assumptions but the alternative of elective belonging hardly differentiated between symbolic and practical neighbourhood use. As belonging is performatively maintained, this differentiation may be needed. What defines residents’ belonging in a neighbourhood in digital mobile times? Does length of residence alone result in place-based practices, familiarity with other people and ultimately in more belonging? Our analyses of survey-data from four Berlin neighbourhoods show that length of residence correlates with belonging, but not in a simple linear way. The use of infrastructure and especially public familiarity, which depends on the settlement as specific historical configuration, affect this relationship.

城市学者普遍认为，居民在一个地区居住的时间越长，就越有邻里归属感。因此，固定定居点的意象在瞬息万变的世界中仍然占主导地位。最近的研究对经典假设提出了质疑，但选择性归属的替代方案 几乎没有区分象征性和实际的邻里功能。由于归属感是通过行动来维持的，因此可能需要对它们进行区分。在数字化、移动化时代，如何定义居民对社区的归属感？仅仅长时间的居住就会带来基于地方的实践、与他人的熟悉并最终带来更多的归属感？我们对柏林四个街区的调查数据进行了分析，发现居住时间长短与归属感相关，但并非以简单的线性方式相关。基础设施的使用，尤其是公众熟悉度，会影响这种关系。而公众熟悉度取决于作为特定历史配置的定居点。