An Interdisciplinary Socio-spatial Approach Towards Studying Identity Constructions in Multicultural Urban Spaces

Abstract

The chapter strives towards addressing the lack of interdisciplinary socio-spatial understanding of identity construction in contemporary urban environments, and aims to provide the missing link between the different disciplines and urban design. The chapters is based on a research project, conducted to study how international student communities’ negotiate their identity in multicultural urban environments in UK cities. Drawing insights from current research on people-identity-place from diverse scholarly fields including human geography, phenomenological philosophy and social psychology, the research strives to reveal the relevance of these insights for a socio-spatial understanding of identity construction and negotiation in urban environments. The research findings are formulated into a set of propositions that play an important role in understanding various multidimensional factors which influence people’s sense of identity, providing critical guidance for urban design interventions and planning in contemporary cities. The propositions are also potentially significant in examining the emergent socio-spatial practices and patterns of belonging in multicultural cities.