Location matters. The role of belonging and place-making among owner-occupiers, tenants, landlords and second homeowners in a neoliberal waterfront area: the Case of Ocean Village, Southampton

Abstract

This thesis examines neoliberal urbanism and its impact on people’s feelings and attachment to place. All tenure groups are affected by neoliberal urban policies (e.g., developments, privatisation, marketisation). Whereas renters, in particular younger people, are struggling to buy properties, some homeowners are able to buy additional properties for investment within neoliberal urban environments. Community studies of urban life have previously investigated the role of tenure status with respect to people’s interests, identities and their participation in daily life. This thesis examines different types of belonging, and place making and place maintenance, and argues that tenure status alone cannot explain people’s feelings about, interest in, and attachment to a particular place. It is based on a case study of Ocean Village Southampton which is an example of a redeveloping waterfront area typical of neoliberal urbanism. The thesis compares different tenure groups in Ocean Village Southampton and addresses the following research questions: What are the significant differences and similarities between tenure groups regarding the decision to move into and the experience of, a waterfront area? How do tenure status and location intersect and how are they different with regard to the decision to move into or buy within, and the experience of, a waterfront area? Both quantitative data, derived from 177 questionnaire participants, and qualitative data, from semi-structured interviews with 42 participants, were used in this thesis. This project sheds new light on the neglected issue of location and showed that both tenure status and location affect people’s feelings about and attachment to a particular place. The study indicates that different tenure groups prefer the same location, rather than attempting to find other, cheaper rented accommodation or looking for other investment options.

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ORCID for Silke Roth: orcid.org/0000-0002-8760-0505

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