A Framework for Inquiry into Neighborhood–Institutional Relationships Related to Public Housing and Adolescent Development
A Framework for Inquiry into Neighborhood–Institutional Relationships Related to Public Housing and Adolescent Development
Public housing developments are institutions with ecological structures, features, and functions similar to those that define neighborhoods. Like neighborhoods, they possess a structural composition, have a built environment, and inspire social processes. They constitute represented communities, places of social organization, and mechanisms that bring about social outcomes. However, few studies explore quantitatively the connection of neighborhood conditions to the educational experiences of public housing residents in a way that incorporates the influence of their public housing community. Understanding how neighborhoods and the institutions embedded within them function in concert to shape youth's educational experiences is a first step in producing related research. This chapter first provides a diagram of neighborhood-institutional relationships within an ecological context, drawing heavily from Bronfenbrenner's ecosystems theory. It further explains the model by summarizing research related to each ecological component's influence on the development of youth. Next, it reviews urban relocation studies to assess the relative benefits of residing in public housing communities and neighborhoods for children and adolescents. The chapter concludes with an assessment of the field's progress and the challenges awaiting the next generation of studies.
Keywords: public housing, ecological theory, institutions, neighborhoods, ecosystems theory, Bronfenbrenner, youth, urban relocation studies
Columbia Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .
