The role of affects in subjective constructions of neighborhood boundaries: An investigation of Bairro de Contumil (Porto, Portugal)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study draws upon cognitive maps and in-depth interviews with 15 unemployed women residing in a Portuguese social housing neighborhood (Bairro de Contumil) to explore how affects influence subjective neighborhood constructions. Despite Bairro de Contumil’s visible disconnection from its surroundings, its residents perceive its boundaries differently. The mental maps varied substantially, and none of the participants limited their neighborhood definition to the social housing area. In spite of this diversity, all participants used their habitual use of space and relationships as the main criteria for defining the neighborhood’s boundaries, both of which are strongly connected to their affects. The in-depth interviews revealed complex relations between place attachment, place identity, human relations, use of space, and spatial perception.