Why are we looking at neighbourhoods? And,
indeed, what are neighbourhoods, exactly?
Researchers have no consensus on
definitions for neighbourhoods. Dictionaries typically come up with the
following:
neighbourhood US, neighborhood [ˈneɪbəˌhʊd]
n
1. the immediate environment; surroundings;
vicinity Related adj vicinal
2. a district where people live
3. the people in a particular area; neighbours
4. neighbourly feeling
neighbourhood
noun
1. district, community, quarter, region, surroundings, locality, locale It seemed like a good neighbourhood to raise my
children.
2. vicinity, confines, proximity, precincts, environs, purlieus the loss of woodlands in the neighbourhood of large
towns
Researchers then try to modify the noun by
using something like “walking neighbourhood”. This is sometimes supposed to be
around 1 -2 kilometres in diameter from the home. Even this has been recently
challenged as too large a space when matched to the actual walking habits of
residents in a town in the UK.
