Spatial stigma and health in postindustrial Detroit

An emerging body of research suggests that those who reside in socially and economicallymarginalized places may be marked by a stigma of place, referred to asspatial stigma, which influences their sense of self, their daily experiences, and theirrelations with outsiders. Researchers conducted 60 semistructured interviews atpartnering community-based organizations during summer 2011 with AfricanAmerican and Latina/o, structurally disadvantaged youth of diverse gender andsexual identities who were between 18 and 26 years of age residing in Detroit,Michigan. The disadvantaged structural conditions and dilapidated built environmentwere common themes in participants’ narratives. Beyond these descriptions, participants’framings and expressions of their experiences in and perceptions of thesespaces alluded to reputational qualities of their city and particular areas of their citythat appear related to spatial stigma. Young Detroit residents articulated the waysthat they experience and navigate the symbolic degradation of their city