Talja Blokland

Das Kottbusser Tor in Berlin-Kreuzberg wird sowohl wegen seiner Vielfalt und seines Community-Aktivismus gefeiert als auch wegen Schmutz, Drogen und Gefahr gemieden. Wie die Bewohner*innen ihren Kiez sehen, wird oft in Anekdoten und politischen Statements dargestellt, aber kaum systematisch untersucht. Deshalb hat ein Forschungsteam des Georg-Simmel-Zentrums fur Metropolenforschung an der Humboldt-Universitat im Auftrag des Bezirksamtes Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg an Hausturen geklingelt und nachgefragt: Wodurch fuhlen sich die Menschen in ihrem Wohngebiet unsicher? Wurden sie denken, dass mehr Polizeiprasenz die Un-/Sicherheit erhohen wurde? Was erwarten sie von anderen Anwohner*innen, und inwiefern tragen solche Erwartungen zum Gefuhl der Sicherheit bei? Tragt die alltagliche Nutzung der Nachbarschaft zum Sicherheitsgefuhl bei? Dieses kleine Buch stellt die Ergebnisse der Studie vor. Es engagiert sich kritisch mit der beruhmten These, dass "Augen auf der Strasse" soziale Kontrolle und damit mehr subjektive Sicherheit erzeugen, und untersucht die Relevanz von Dunkelheit, Dreck und Drogen sowie von Achtsamkeit, Gemeinsamkeit und Zugehorigkeit. Die Studie zeigt, dass das Sicherheitsempfinden in einer stadtischen Nachbarschaft von vertrauter Offentlichkeit abhangt. Sie zeichnet sich dadurch aus, dass Menschen einschatzen konnen, was sie um sich herum sehen (eine Fahigkeit, die bei wiederholter Nutzung von Orten zunimmt) und darauf vertrauen, dass andere Bewohner*innen ihnen den Rucken freihalten. Dabei muss den Menschen nicht immer alles gefallen, was sie an ihrem Wohnort erfahren. Aber in dichten Stadtgebieten mit hoher Diversitat profitieren die Bewohner*innen von gegenseitigem Wiedererkennen, wenn es um das Sicherheitsempfinden geht.

Despite considerable interest in social capital amongst urban policy makers and academics alike, there is currently little direct focus on its urban dimensions. In this volume leading urban researchers from the Netherlands, the UK, the USA, Australia, Italy and France explore the nature of social networks and the significance of voluntary associations for contemporary urban life. Networked Urbanism recognizes that there is currently a sense of crisis in the cohesion of the city which has led to public attempts to encourage networking and the fostering of 'social capital'. However, the contributors collectively demonstrate how new kinds of 'networked urbanism' associated with ghettoization, suburbanization and segregation have broken from the kind of textured urban communities that existed in the past. This has generated new forms of exclusionary social capital, which fail to significantly resolve the problems of poor residents, whilst strengthening the position of the advantaged. Grounded in theoretical reflection and empirical research, Networked Urbanism will be of interest to scholars and students of sociology, geography and urban studies, as well as to policy makers.

Community is a central idea in urban studies but remains conceptually vague and empirically difficult to work with. Building on existing theories of community, Talja Blokland offers an important contribution to defining and understanding this key theme. Blokland argues that there has been too much focus on community as a stable construct, formed by durable relationships with kin, friends, social groups or neighbours. She draws attention to the non-durable, fluid encounters that constitute community, theorizing communities as shared urban practices in a globalizing world. The book proposes two core ways of thinking about community: the dimension of familiarity, defined by our ability to construct identities, and the dimension of access, defined by our freedom to enter and leave urban spaces. These dimensions form various urban configurations which enable us to experience and practise community in diverse ways. As this book maintains, community is after all an urban practice, not a fixed state of affairs.

Community is a central idea in urban studies but remains conceptually vague and empirically difficult to work with. Building on existing theories of community, Talja Blokland offers an important contribution to defining and understanding this key theme. Blokland argues that there has been too much focus on community as a stable construct, formed by durable relationships with kin, friends, social groups or neighbours. She draws attention to the non-durable, fluid encounters that constitute community, theorizing communities as shared urban practices in a globalizing world. The book proposes two core ways of thinking about community: the dimension of familiarity, defined by our ability to construct identities, and the dimension of access, defined by our freedom to enter and leave urban spaces. These dimensions form various urban configurations which enable us to experience and practise community in diverse ways. As this book maintains, community is after all an urban practice, not a fixed state of affairs.

What is Urban Theory? How can it be used to understand our urban experiences? Experiences typically defined by enormous inequalities, not just between cities but within cities, in an increasingly interconnected and globalised world. This book explains: Relations between urban theory and modernity in key ideas of the Chicago School, spatial analysis, humanistic urban geography, and ‘radical' approaches like MarxismCities and the transition to informational economies, globalization, urban growth machine and urban regime theory, the city as an "actor"Spatial expressions of inequality and key ideas like segregation, ghettoization, suburbanization, gentrificationSocio-cultural spatial expressions of difference and key concepts like gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity and "culturalist" perspectives on identity, lifestyle, subcultureHow cities should be understood as intersections of horizontal and vertical – of coinciding resources, positions, locations, influencing how we make and understand urban experiences. Critical, interdisciplinary and pedagogically informed - with opening summaries, boxes, questions for discussion and guided further reading - Urban Theory: A Critical Introduction to Power, Cities and Urbanism in the 21st Century provides the tools for any student of the city to understand, even to change, our own urban experiences.

What is Urban Theory? How can it be used to understand our urban experiences? Experiences typically defined by enormous inequalities, not just between cities but within cities, in an increasingly interconnected and globalised world. This book explains: Relations between urban theory and modernity in key ideas of the Chicago School, spatial analysis, humanistic urban geography, and ‘radical' approaches like MarxismCities and the transition to informational economies, globalization, urban growth machine and urban regime theory, the city as an "actor"Spatial expressions of inequality and key ideas like segregation, ghettoization, suburbanization, gentrificationSocio-cultural spatial expressions of difference and key concepts like gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity and "culturalist" perspectives on identity, lifestyle, subcultureHow cities should be understood as intersections of horizontal and vertical – of coinciding resources, positions, locations, influencing how we make and understand urban experiences. Critical, interdisciplinary and pedagogically informed - with opening summaries, boxes, questions for discussion and guided further reading - Urban Theory: A Critical Introduction to Power, Cities and Urbanism in the 21st Century provides the tools for any student of the city to understand, even to change, our own urban experiences.

Despite considerable interest in social capital amongst urban policy makers and academics alike, there is currently little direct focus on its urban dimensions. In this volume leading urban researchers from the Netherlands, the UK, the USA, Australia, Italy and France explore the nature of social networks and the significance of voluntary associations for contemporary urban life. Networked Urbanism recognizes that there is currently a sense of crisis in the cohesion of the city which has led to public attempts to encourage networking and the fostering of 'social capital'. However, the contributors collectively demonstrate how new kinds of 'networked urbanism' associated with ghettoization, suburbanization and segregation have broken from the kind of textured urban communities that existed in the past. This has generated new forms of exclusionary social capital, which fail to significantly resolve the problems of poor residents, whilst strengthening the position of the advantaged. Grounded in theoretical reflection and empirical research, Networked Urbanism will be of interest to scholars and students of sociology, geography and urban studies, as well as to policy makers.

What is the role of the neighbourhood in our understanding of community and how has this role changed over the last century? Talja Blokland seeks to answer this question in this careful ethnographic study of the changing nature of social relationships and urban communities. Careful ethnographic study of the changing nature of social relationships and urban communities. Examines the role of the neighbourhood in our understanding of community and how this has changed over the last century. Interweaves a detailed study of the history and current social life of a poor neighbourhood in Rotterdam, with a reflection on the character of social ties in urban areas everywhere. Draws on American urban sociology and includes provocative discussions on the issues of community and ethnicity.

What is the role of the neighbourhood in our understanding of community and how has this role changed over the last century? Talja Blokland seeks to answer this question in this careful ethnographic study of the changing nature of social relationships and urban communities. Careful ethnographic study of the changing nature of social relationships and urban communities. Examines the role of the neighbourhood in our understanding of community and how this has changed over the last century. Interweaves a detailed study of the history and current social life of a poor neighbourhood in Rotterdam, with a reflection on the character of social ties in urban areas everywhere. Draws on American urban sociology and includes provocative discussions on the issues of community and ethnicity.