Rethinking Neighborhoods

Although neighborhoods are sometimes perceived as just a backdrop to our lives, there is considerable evidence that they are central to our sense of wellbeing, and in the functioning of the city. Rethinking Neighborhoods is about these areas of geography: what we know about how neighborhoods function, why they matter and how we chose where to live. Emphasizing the importance of place, of connections, cohesion, and local attachment, William A.V. Clark argues that the relevance of the local is increasing, rather than decreasing, and examines how this informs our choices and their outcomes. Situating neighborhoods and their evolution in historical and societal context, he uses a range of international case studies to assess key issues such as residential and neighborhood search, the segregation inequality debate, the connections between neighborhoods and health, the role of planning in the localized city and the 20 minute community. Written by one of the leading researchers in the field, this book offers a thought-provoking read to those researching and studying society at the neighborhood scale in disciplines including city and regional planning and human geography as well as demography, sociology and public policy.