SOCIO-SPATIAL TRANSFORMATION AND NEIGHBORHOOD RELATIONS IN NOVI SAD

Abstract

In the first part of the paper authors discuss some of the classical sociological ideas about the neighborhood, developed within the Chicago School and the symbolic interactionism of Jane Jacobs. Those ideas are then used in order to examine the neighborhood relations in Novi Sad, in the context of transition and spatial transformation. Authors present selected results of a survey conducted in 2015. on a representative sample of 503 citizens of Novi Sad. The neighborhood relations in Novi Sad are investigated with the aim of analyzing their quality in different parts of the city and their relation with different social characteristics. According to the research hypothesis, the quality of neighborhood relations varies significantly in different parts of the city and between different social groups, whereby the parts of the city are classified by the degree of their spatial transformation in transition. The research confirmed the first hypothesis and found that the neighborhood relations are more intense in the old, historic part of the city, within the single-family and mixed housing, among the owners of apartments as well as those born in Novi Sad or had moved to the city less than 10 years ago. Although some findings suggest that differences in neighborhood relations are arising from the degree and quality of spatial reconstruction in the transition, these links are not simple nor direct. Through the analysis of the research results authors assess the relevance of some classical sociological ideas for understanding and planning the neighborhoods in the contemporary city in transition. In conclusion, authors emphasize the importance of overcoming strict spatial determinism as well as the idealization of neighborhood relations in further research in this area.