UC Irvine

Using data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Study, US Census, and RefUSA, this dissertation examines the role of demographics, businesses, block aesthetics, and social relationships on perceptions of neighborhood boundaries among Los Angeles residents. Chapter one begins by contextualizing neighborhood spatial perceptions through the lens of community attachment and activity patterns theory. The second chapter examines the role of these dimensions on individual perceptions of neighborhood spatial scale, finding significant associations for key elements within them each. The third chapter shifts to block level analyses to examine whether factors in each of these dimensions predict differences in perceptions of neighborhood bounds among neighbors. Results do in fact indicate that certain factors are associated with greater consensus in these perceptions (e.g. social services and population density), while others tend to be associated with greater differences (e.g. participation in local or civic group). Given the importance of these findings, the next chapter is focused on enhancing research by incorporating these boundary perceptions into aggregate analyses. By capturing neighborhoods as residents see them, we may more accurately capture ‘neighborhood’ effects. Because of this, an aggregate measure informed by resident perceptions of neighborhood spatial scale is developed in chapter four. This unit is then tested against models aggregated to census block and .5 mile egohood boundaries. Results indicate that models incorporating neighborhood boundaries as residents define them tend to explain more variance in neighborhood cohesion than the other approaches. While there is little difference between approaches found in models focused on explaining the variance in standard deviations in neighborhood perceptions, these results seem to indicate that this is a useful approach that warrants further refinement. The final chapter outlines the overall project and connects findings back to prior research and theory. The project’s limitations are also discussed leading to avenues for future research. Suggestions are also provided for the usefulness of this approach to other fields that may benefit from analyses that seem tied to resident perceptions of neighborhood boundaries.