The symbolic meanings and experience of place among residents in public housing awaiting relocation in Baltimore, Maryland

Abstract

Public housing in the United States is often depicted as areas of decay and using racialized tropes about low-income communities of color. Despite these negative portrayals, residents of public housing often characterize their place as meaningful homes where they engage in place-making and community-building to challenge their social marginalization. The presence of strong connections to community and place among residents may help explain why public housing redevelopment programs focused on demolition and forced relocation have led to mixed results for improved mental and social well-being. This study explores how residents of a predominately Black public housing community undergoing redevelopment construct meanings of place and how these meanings influence their well-being and perceptions of redevelopment. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 adults relocating from a public housing site in Baltimore, Maryland, and showcased how the social conditions of public housing intersect with individual characteristics, life experiences, and personal desires to dictate residents’ notions of home, attachments to place and community, and experiences with stigma before relocation. Our findings demonstrate how residents’ experiences with redevelopment and relocating can vary depending on their meanings of place, emphasizing the need to elevate residents’ experiential knowledge in housing interventions to promote individual and community health.