The sense of belonging

• Perspectives:

  • Place is a social construct so some ppl feel in place while others feel out of place
  • placemaking processes can be used to create spatial inclusion or exclusion
  • Dominant groups create a social norm and those that deviate from this norm can be socially or spatially excluded
  • Spikes on the pavement or benches with individual seating are choices made to spatially exclude homeless people 
  • Lack of adaptations can lead to the exclusion of people with disabilities 
• Insider perspectives:

  • come from being fluent in the local language, being born in the place, knowing the customs and norms
  • People who have an insider perspective will usually feel safe in a place
  • They have friends/family and connections in the place
• Outsider perspectives:

  • They are not from the area or if they are but do not fit the social norm
  • Those with different sexualities or genders, despite being from the place, may feel out of place as they do not fit the social norm 
  • Immigrants or those from ethnic minorities will have outsider perspectives as they are not from the area.  Their outsider perspective can turn into social exclusion through their experiences
• Sense of belonging within places:

  • Some places ppl feel more welcome than others
  • Immigrant populations often form spatial close knit communities in response to feelings of exclusion from often nearby neighbourhoods
  • They may experience a place differently to non immigrant groups
  • The same for gay communities
  • Both groups perceive a place in a different way to the dominant socio-economic group
• Sense of belonging - temporal changes:

  • Time of day influences > and area of a town where there are lots of office blocks or apartments is likely to be perceived differently by employees during the day and by residents at night
  • E.g. busy shopping centre with bars and restaurants > same group of ppl likely to feel insider and outsider perspective
  • Perspective of where you used to live or grew up
• What else is belonging influenced by?

  • Age > Grange Over Sands > elderly residents have stronger sense or belonging as lived there longer but young feel like outsiders
  • Sex > fearing safety e.g. walking at night alone
  • Sextuality > Manchester welcoming but some cd feel intimidated
  • Level of education > Docklands > yuppies moved in > educated, uni degree
  • Wealth > Kensington and Chelsea
  • Length of time spent in a place > Kendal grew up there
  • Existing links e.g. family
  • Race/ ethnicity > insti racism, global conflicts
  • Religion > Belfast peace walls, 'white flight'
• Why are foreign workers feeling like outsiders?

  • No of EU nationals registering as nursery dropped 90% since Brexit and record number quitting NHS
• EXAMPLE: Why are foreign workers feeling like outsiders? > Sheffield

  • parts of Britain turning into ghettos
  • government failed to handle mass immigration
  • Page Hall in Sheffield which has absorbed 6,000 Roma and Eastern Europeans in 4 yrs
  • residents described that estate as crime plagued and litter strewn 'Roma guetto'
  • dissolved community spirit