Middle States Geographer, 1998,31: 123-131 THE PROBLEMATIC NATURE OF NEIGHBORHOODS AS URBAN SOCIAL SPACES

ABSTRACT: The urban neighborhood has traditionally been defined as an urban space where residents share a communal bond built upon social networks. The nature and geographical structure of social bonds. howner, seems to be changing. This paper explores these changes, and identifies alternate ways for theorists to envision the urban neighborhood in a post-industrial era. In social science, the neighborhood has historically been characterized as "a defined area within which there is an identifiable subculture to which the majority of its residents conform (Johnston et aI., 1994). " Implicit in this definition is that residents share a socio-cultural bond that unifies a neighborhood. The nature and geographical structure of social bonds, however, seems to be changing. Many American cities are in a state of transition from the industrial to the post-industrial city. The transition is reflected in high-speed travel an