Theoretical
We have a recent paper (at Cityscape) elaborating the “ecological network” concept (i.e., two-mode networks that indirectly link residents/households through socio-spatial overlap in routine activities throughout an urban space). We argue that theories of neighborhood effects on youth development have largely neglected actual routine exposures to local settings – i.e., specific locations, organizations, and institutions. We suggest that considering the intersection of individuals and actual behavior settings through use of the activity space concept may yield more insight into the processes by which exposure to neighborhood contexts shape the outcomes of children and adolescents. We also hypothesize that the extent to which residents intersect in space as captured by characteristics of neighborhood-based ecological networks is consequential for adolescent risk behavior, including drug use. Specifically, we develop a theory of the causes and consequences of ecological networks emphasizing the process by which structural patterns of the web of interconnectedness resulting from neighborhood residents’ routine activities may influence neighborhood-based familiarity and trust, social ties, the emergence of shared expectations for beneficial action (collective efficacy), and patterns of public space use. We then introduce the concept of ecological community as a relevant sociospatial exposure context that addresses the problem of individual level activity spaces that extend beyond the boundaries of (often arbitrarily defined) neighborhoods. We conclude with an overview of new approaches to data collection that incorporate insights from an activity space and ecological network perspective on neighborhood and contextual influences on youth.
Empirical
We have two empirical manuscripts exploring the impact of structural characteristics of neighborhood-based ecological (or “eco-“) networks for aspects of neighborhood functioning and youth development.
In the first paper (currently under review), we integrate insights from social network analysis, activity space perspectives, and theories of urban and spatial processes to present an innovative approach to neighborhood effects on health-risk behavior among youth. We suggest spatial patterns of neighborhood residents’ non-home routine activities may be conceptualized as ecological, or “eco”-networks, which are two-mode networks that indirectly link residents/households through socio-spatial overlap in routine activities. We further argue structural configurations of eco-networks are consequential for youth’s behavioral health. In this study we focus on a key structural feature of eco-networks—namely the extent to which households share two or more activity locations or eco-network reinforcement—and its association with a cumulative measure of health-risk behavior combining substance use, arrest, and the onset of sexual activity. Using geographic data on non-home routine activity locations among respondents from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (LAFANS), we reconstructed within-neighborhood eco-networks by connecting sampled households to “activity clusters,” which are sets of spatially-proximate activity locations. We then measured eco-network reinforcement and tested its association with adolescent cumulative risk on a sample of 822 youth ages 12-17 nested in 65 tracts. We also examined whether neighborhood-level social processes (collective efficacy and intergenerational closure) mediate the association between eco-network reinforcement and the outcomes considered. Results indicated eco-network closure exhibits negative associations with cumulative risk, a finding that is corroborated in analyses of the independent risk outcomes. Eco-network reinforcement effects were not explained by potential mediating variables. In addition to introducing a novel theoretical and empirical approach to neighborhood effects on youth, our findings highlight the importance of eco-network reinforcement for adolescent behavioral health.
In the second paper under review, we test the hypothesis that high levels of routine activity overlap within eco-networks—as captured by a measure of clustering within in the network—engender familiarity and trust, ultimately influencing neighborhood safety appraisals. Using geographic data on non-home routine activity locations among respondents from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (LAFANS), we reconstructed within-neighborhood eco-networks by connecting sampled households to sets of spatially-proximate activity locations. We then measured the extent of clustering within the network and tested its association with perceptions of neighborhood safety on samples of 2,578 adults and 1,358 youth nested in 65 tracts. We also examined whether numerous factors (e.g., neighborhood social ties, collective efficacy) mediate or confound the association between closure and safety assessments. Results indicate closure has positive associations with safety assessments among youth and adults that are not fully explained by potential mediating or confounding variables.
An additional paper (in preparation) demonstrates links between multiple structural features of neighborhood eco-networks and neighborhood social organizational features relevant for adolescent health outcomes and drug use (Browning, Calder et al).