Open AccessPeople, Place, and Politics: Local Factors Shaping Middle‐Class Practices in Mixed‐Class German Neighbourhoods
Author(s) -
Heike Hanhörster,
Isabel Rámos Lobato,
Sabine Weck
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
social inclusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.511
H-Index - 17
ISSN - 2183-2803
DOI - 10.17645/si.v9i4.4478
Subject(s) - neighbourhood (mathematics) , german , middle class , sociology , politics , social class , limiting , class (philosophy) , economic geography , gender studies , political economy , political science , geography , epistemology , law , mechanical engineering , mathematical analysis , philosophy , mathematics , archaeology , engineering
This article takes a nuanced look at the role played by neighbourhood characteristics and local policies in facilitating or limiting the ways in which diversity‐oriented middle‐class families interact and deal with people of lower social classes in mixed‐class inner‐city neighbourhoods. The study draws on interviews and social network analysis conducted in neighbourhoods with different socio‐economic characteristics in the German cities of Hanover and Dusseldorf. A comparative view allows us to analyse how neighbourhood characteristics and local policies influence middle‐classes’ interactions across social boundaries. Our aim is to contribute to ongoing debates on urban policy options: In discussing the conditions encouraging cross‐boundary interactions of specific middle‐class fractions, we argue that the scope of local‐level action is not fully recognized in either policy or academic debates.