Interaction Pretext: Experiences of Community in the Urban Neighbourhood. (August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Henriksen, Ida Marie; Tjora, Aksel
• Is Part Of: Urban studies. Volume 51:Number 10(2014:Aug.)
• Page Start: 2111
• Page End: 2124
• Publication Date: 2014-08
• Subjects: community -- interaction -- interaction pretext -- neighbourhood; Cities and towns -- Periodicals; City planning -- Periodicals; 307.1216
• DOI: 10.1177/0042098013505891
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0042-0980

Abstract

It has been suggested that community, social cohesion and territorial ties in neighbourhoods may be characterised by three directions: the lost, the saved and the transformed. On the basis of a number of case studies in a Norwegian city, it is found that these three trends exist together, on the basis of various local interactive practices. The concept of an interaction pretext is developed to answer in a more nuanced way how various forms of social ties are developed, maintained and/or altered. By combining this concept with local activity, four community types are specified that may characterise different neighbourhoods and that may also exist in parallel at one place: the passing-by community, the tight community, the weak community, and the split community. Demonstrating the potential of a more detailed empirical approach to the community question, the paper warns against too analytically shallow suggestions about their development. By understanding how neighbourhoods develop socially in different ways, it may be possible to increase the probability of better community planning.