Unintended Consequences of Neighbourhood Restructuring: Uncertainty, Disrupted Social Networks and Increased Fear of Violent Victimization Among Young Adults

• NCJ Number: 244990
• Journal: British Journal of Criminology Volume: 53 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2013 Pages: 924-941
• Author(s): Sara K. Thompson; Sandra M. Bucerius; Mark Luguya
• Date Published: September 2013
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This paper examines the impact of neighborhood 'revitalization' on young adult residents of Regent Park, Canada's largest and oldest social housing project.

Abstract

Concerns about high concentrations of poverty, social isolation and neighborhood safety have made social housing developments the target of various interventions in recent decades. A current housing policy trend in many Western nations aims to de-concentrate poverty and other forms of disadvantage by engineering more socio-economically mixed residential environments. Based on 40 in-depth interviews, this paper examines the impact of neighborhood 'revitalization' on young adult residents of Regent Park, Canada's largest and oldest social housing project. The authors found that the large-scale displacement that attends this process has destabilizing effects on the neighborhood, both in terms of social networks and supports, but also with respect to young people's perceptions of their risk of violent victimization. (Published Abstract)