This paper presents a comparative case study of two northern suburbs in Melbourne, Australia, in order to analyze local perceptions of proximity, mobility, and spaces of community interaction within diverse neighborhoods experiencing socioeconomic and demographic transition. We first look at government policies concerning the two suburbs, which position one suburb within a narrative of gentrification and the other within a narrative of marginalization. We then draw on diverse residents’ experiences and perceptions of local space, finding that these “everyday geographies” operate independently of and often at odds with local policy narratives of demographic and socioeconomic transition. We conclude that residents’ “everyday geographies” reveal highly varied and contested experiences of sociospatial dimensions of local change, in contrast to policy narratives that are often neoliberally framed.
Narrativas de Política Pública vs. Geografías de la Vida Cotidiana: Percepciones sobre Espacios Cambiantes en la Diversa Zona Norte de Melbourne
Resumen
Este artículo presenta un estudio de caso comparativo de dos suburbios de la zona norte de Melbourne, Australia, para analizar percepciones locales sobre proximidad, movilidad y espacios de interacción comunal al interior de barrios diversos experimentando transiciones socio–económicas y demográficas. Primero observamos las políticas del gobierno respecto a los dos suburbios, las cuales ubican a un suburbio dentro de una narrativa de gentrificación y al otro en una narrativa de marginalización. Luego nos acercamos a las diversas experiencias y percepciones de los residentes respecto al espacio local, encontrando que estas “geografías de la vida cotidiana” operan de forma independiente y muchas veces en desacuerdo con las narrativas de política local sobre la transición demográfica y socio–económica. Concluimos que las “geografías de la vida cotidiana” de los residentes muestran experiencias muy variadas y en disputa respecto a las dimensiones socio–espaciales del cambio local, en contraste con las narrativas de política pública que son muchas veces enmarcadas en el neoliberalismo.
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