Building communities of place: Habitual movement around significant places: Fid-Bau Portal

Building communities of place: Habitual movement around significant places

Hargreaves, Andrew

Abstract Familiar social concepts such ascommunity, home and family are increasinglyredefined in terms of process in contrast to`place', which is often viewed as a ratherinert spatial designation. Definitions ofcommunity do not always coincide with locationbut a lack of distinctive features or socialfocus in many residential housing areas promptsthe question of whether the separation between`place' and `interest' could lead to a more orless sustainable condition for humansettlement. Based on data collected from an ethnographicstudy in Northeast Scotland, this analysis aimsto explore the continuities between `place' and`interest' in constructing a more satisfyingenvironment for housing development.Communities with an awareness of place exhibithabitual patterns of movement around familiarand significant objects in the construction ofboth individual and social identity and memory.Increased identification produces a morepositive `sense of place' as an inherent aspectof what is termed `social sustainability'. This paper argues that a more sustainable sitefor residential development emerges at thecoincidence of movement and socialsignificance. Qualitative improvements to the builtenvironment need to take account of existinglocal distinctiveness and the patterns ofmovement that communicate their significanceand sense of identity. It is argued that agreater awareness of these key social factorsin urban planning would facilitate greaterpotential `social sustainability' inresidential environments. Some of the differentoptions for the design and layout ofresidential areas are considered in relation tothe research findings.