Roots and routes in neighbourhoods. Length of residence, belonging and public familiarity in Berlin, Germany

Abstract

Urban scholars commonly expect that residents show more neighbourhood belonging, the longer they live in an area. An imagery of fixed settlements thus remains dominant in a rapidly changing world. Recent research challenged classic assumptions but the alternative of elective belonging hardly differentiated between symbolic and practical neighbourhood use. As belonging is performatively maintained, this differentiation may be needed. What defines residents’ belonging in a neighbourhood in digital mobile times? Does length of residence alone result in place-based practices, familiarity with other people and ultimately in more belonging? Our analyses of survey-data from four Berlin neighbourhoods show that length of residence correlates with belonging, but not in a simple linear way. The use of infrastructure and especially public familiarity, which depends on the settlement as specific historical configuration, affect this relationship.