Urban context and social interactions: The duality of recreational spaces between high and low income groups in Concepción, Chile

Abstract

The objective of this work is to study the relationship between the urban context and social interactions. The social and spatial dimensions involved in this relation were grouped into two levels of analysis: the neighborhood Í€“as the stratum where household sample groups were takenÍ€“ and the level of individuals in the context of their personal social networks. Individual case studies were carried-out as part of the analysis. The study is based in an interdisciplinary framework and empirical data from Concepción, Chile. The results suggest the existence of a recreational space that is limited to the areas in which individuals establish their everyday social activities, and which generally represent their immediate surroundings. In addition to this immediate realm, there is also the space of movements formed by the path or route between the individualÍ€™s home and workplace, and the places of social interaction with their personal networks. The study reveals the duality between the recreational spaces of low-income groups and those of high-income groups, suggesting that issues of socio-spatial segregation touch upon wider, more complex and multidimensional aspects than those generally addressed in the literature.