Digitization processes at the neighborhood scale: Infrastructure, governance, community, and practices

Abstract

This paper links the discourse on neighborhoods with the discourse on digitization. From an analytical perspective, digitization is no longer viewed as an independent infrastructure but one that is physically located and affects materiality, sociability, and daily conduct. From the normative perspective, it is becoming clear how differences in digital infrastructure/services/use among and within neighborhoods influence social resiliency and access to resources. Exploring these ideas, this paper offers a thematic review of four key areas, infrastructure, governance, community, and practices, while addressing critical ideas in studies of neighborhoods pre-digitization and neighborhoods supported by digitization. This review is followed by an elaboration of the main shifts, open questions, and gaps in the literature. The paper concludes with a discussion on the neighborhood in the digital age, a much-needed lens for understanding both past and contemporary development, and a pathway leading to better neighborhood futures.