The Councilors are the Ones to Blame

The Symbolic Reproduction of Territorial Boundaries Created by Policy and Planning Decisions

Bibliographic Data

ID6404664
AuthorsMarta Neves (0000-0003-4352-611X, Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Odense, Odense, Denmark, corresponding author), Sara Neves (0000-0002-6934-7366, s-e arquitetura, Porto, Portugal)
Year2024
Volume60
Issue3
Pages923-955
Publication date2024-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueUrban Affairs Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1078-0874 • E-ISSN: 1552-8332
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/10780874231210761
OpenAlexW4388572995
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited60

This study draws upon cognitive maps and interviews with 57 residents living in two diverse areas of Porto, Portugal, to examine how individuals’ symbolic neighborhood boundaries reflect policy and planning decisions, and the implications of recognizing the role of government in the creation of territorial divisions and inequality. The study shows that residents’ subjective neighborhood constructions reproduce political territorial practices and representations. Awareness of the political origins of territory discourages residents from constructing their neighborhoods in alternative ways. Drawing on the concepts of symbolic and social boundaries, the study sheds light on the persistence and contestation of unjust territories

Blame · Government (linguistics · Inequality · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Reproduction · Sociology · The Symbolic · Law · Place Attachment and Urban Studies · Psychology · Public Spaces through Art · Social Psychology · Urban Planning and Governance

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Open DOI