Localways

Localways - Ways of local sustainability: mobility, social capital and inequality - is a CIES - IUL (Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology - University Institute of Lisbon) research project  and it is funded by FCT. It began in 01/04/2013 and it is scheduled to end in 31/03/2015 (PTDC/ATP-EUR/5023/2012). 

 

This project aims to deconstruct a common image of ‘suburbia’ as a uniform space, where people live similar lives in similar places. In order to better understand the reality behind this stereotype we will inquiry into the hypothetical causal relationship between the intensity of urban sprawl and its negative effects in terms of ecological balance, social fragmentation and citizenship practices.

In sum, we aim to query the sustainability of the suburban way of life. 

 

Arguments

 

In our view, the notion of sustainability is deeply dependent on two factors: on the one side the capacity of producing and using space interlinked with the promotion of a good environment and a balanced economic development and on the other side the existence of a civic engagement of the populations (Putman, 2000; Portes, 1998; Taylor-Goody, 2008) committed with the future life of their own communities (Raco, 2007; Chatertton, 2002; Magnaghi, 2005). To our mind, these phenomena are strictly related with each other.

 

Consequently, we target the research focus on the impact of suburbanization trends in the daily life of suburban dwellers with a particular emphasis on the consequences of sprawl and mobility in the reduction of citizenship practices such as the participation in associative movements and other forms of civic participation.

 

Context

 

This project targets a gap in Portuguese urban sociology. From the 1960’s onwards Portugal has experienced an intense process of urbanization and industrialization of its coastal areas. As a result, almost half of the Portuguese population lives, nowadays, in the wider metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto. The growth of these urban regions fed a deep transformation of the landscapes surrounding the city. We witnessed the emergence of ‘sprawling spaces’ that normally are located in-between urban centers and countryside.

There are several concepts that are commonly used as a depiction of this phenomenon: suburban, peri-urban, sparsely populated spaces, etc (Champion, 2001). These places produce different types of social and demographical processes that tend to shape new forms of spatiality, the most significant of which is the amplification and dispersion of human settlements and the increase of mobility (i.e. commuting).

 

Research question

 

Is suburbanisation encouraging or retracting the possibilities of social engagement and civic participation?

 

We intend to answer these questions by measuring different sociological dimensions, such as:

 

a) the role of social networks and mutual trust in the formation of social capital;

b) civic participation in local associations;

c) space and time use in distinct commuting trajectories;

d) consumption and leisure practices;

e) primary services and equipments offer (schools, hospitals, libraries, etc.) and the ways of using the available ones;

f) transportation uses and their environmental impact.

 

Research design

 

In operational terms, we will focus our study in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (LMA) where almost a third of the Portuguese population lives (near 3 million residents). This territory is composed by tremendous social and spatial diversity that is yet to be fully characterized. To do so, we will conduct a multi-scalar analysis: at a macro and mezzo level, we will elaborate a statistical assessment of this region contemplating a set of indicators that enables us to characterize the socio-demographical trends and to create a typology of different territorial profiles. We also intend to apply a survey in different municipalities, gathering information on social practices, daily routines and forms of civic engagement and participation. At the micro level, we will conduct in-depth interviews. 

These distinctive approaches will allow a finer analysis of ‘suburban’ life that will not only help to better diagnose existing problems but also outline and help inform future policy to enhance the sustainability of suburban development and the improvement of its social cohesion levels.

 

Main References

 

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Camarero,L.,Oliva J. (2008) The social face of urban mobility in Spain. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Vol. 32, 344-362. Click here

 

Castells, Manuel (2000), The Rise of the Network Society, 2ª ed., Oxford, Blackwell. Click here

 

Chatterton, Paul (2002), “‘Be realistic: demand the impossible’. Moving towards ‘strong’ sustainable development in an old industrial region?”, Regional Studies, Vol. 36 (5), pp. 552-561. Click here

 

Champion, T. (2001). Urbanization, suburbanization, counterurbanization and reurbanization. In R. Paddison (ed.), Handbook of urban studies, London: Sage. Click here 

 

Cresswell, Tim (2006), On the move: Mobility in the modern western world, London, Routledge. Click here

 

Davidson, Mark (2009), “Social sustainability: a potential for politics?”, Local Environment , Vol. 14 (7), pp. 607-619. Click here

 

Duany, A., et al. (2000), Suburban nation: the rise of Sprawl and the decline of the American dream, New York, North Point Press. Click here

 

Giddens, A. (1984), The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration, University of California Press, Berkeley. Click here

 

Gieryn, T. (2000). A space for place in sociology. Annual Reviews of Sociology, 26, 463-496. Click here

 

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Ingersoll, R. (2006), Sprawltown: looking for the City on its Edges, New York, Princeton Architectural Press. Click here

 

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Maloutas, Thomas (2003), “Promoting social sustainability. The case of Athens”, City, Vol. 7, pp. 167-181. Click here

 

Magnaghi, Alberto (2005), The Urban Village. A Charter for Democracy and Local Self-sustainable Development, London, Zed Books. Click here

 

Montulet, Bertrand (2005), Au-delà de la mobilité. Des forms de mobilités. Cahiers Internationaux de Sociologie Vol. CXVIII, 137-159. Click here

 

Nguyen, Doan (2010), “Evidence of the impacts of urban sprawl on social capital”, Environment and Planning B, 37, pp. 610-627. Click here

 

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Portes, Alejandro (1998), Social capital. Its origins and applications in modern sociology, Annual Review Sociology (24) pp. 1-24. Click here

 

Putnam, Robert (2000), Bowling Alone. The Collapse and Revival of American Community, New York, Simon & Schuster. Click here

 

Raco, Mike (2007), Building sustainable communities. Spatial policy and labour mobility in post-war Britain, Bristol, The Policy Press. Click here

 

Rothstein, Bo (2005), Social traps and the problem of trust, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Click here

 

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Taylor-Goody , Peter (2008), Reframing Social Citizenship, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Click here

 

Urry John (2000), Sociology Beyond Societies: Mobilities for the Twenty First Century, London e New York, Routledge. Click here

 

Wilkinson, Richard and Kate Pickett (2009), The Spirit Level. Why More Equal Societies Almost Always do Better, Londres, Allen Lane/Penguin Books. Click here

 

Woolock, Michael (1998), Social capital and economic development: toward a theoretical synthesis and policy framework, Theory and Society, vol. 27, nº2, pp. 151-208. Click here