67
Community and the Built Environment

Monday, 16 July 2018: 10:30-12:20
Location: 206C (MTCC NORTH BUILDING)
RC03 Community Research (host committee)

Language: English

Advances in telecommunication throughout the 20th-century led sociologists to proclaim that community had been “liberated” (in the words of Barry Wellman) beyond the geographic confines of the neighborhood. Since then, communities have often been conceptualized as abstract “networks” connecting people within virtual, as opposed to physical, settings. The rise of Facebook and other online social “networking” sites have only deepened this trend.

In recent years, however, sociologists from a variety of subfields have turned their attention to the role of spatial and material dynamics in social life. This “materialist turn” is an impetus for considering the extent to which communities continue to be influenced by their physical surroundings. Indeed, architects and urbanists have long understood the significant role of the built environment in the establishment and maintenance of community, from Jane Jacob’s ideas of the importance of mixed-use and walkability to Rem Koolhaus’ theory of the “culture of congestion”. Moreover, after decades of urban sprawl and segregation, architects increasingly see their mission as designing places that encourage social interaction and cohesion.

In order to bring sociological analysis to bear on this problem, we seek papers that explore the relationship between community and the built form. Possible topics include the role of the built environment in strengthening or weakening social cohesion, how architecture and design shape local cultures and community identity, or how communities adapt the existing built form to new social purposes (e.g. post-industrial revitalization). We welcome papers that are empirical or theoretical in focus, and qualitative or quantitative.

Session Organizers:
Matt PATTERSON, University of Calgary, Canada and Hyesun JEONG, University of Chicago, USA
Oral Presentations
Anticipating the « Bilbao Effect »: Transformations of the City of Arles before the Opening of the Luma Foundation
Elena RAEVSKIKH, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France
Distributed Papers
Balancing Privacy and Community in Design: Competing Tensions in Multi-Unit Housing for People with Mental Health Challenges
Lynda CHESHIRE, The University of Queensland, Australia; Kelly GREENOP, The University of Queensland, Australia; Laura COX, The University of Queensland, Australia; Lynda SHEVELLAR, The University of Queensland, Australia
Housing, Environment and Community: The Case of Khutsong
Johan ZAAIMAN, North-West University, South Africa; Gift MUPAMBWA, North-West University, South Africa
See more of: RC03 Community Research
See more of: Research Committees