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ABSTRACT
This paper presents an ethnographic and qualitative exploration of how resident-driven mapping shapes our understanding of place and space in a changing environment. Conducted from 2018 to 2022, the study collaboratively engaged community members in mapping exercises, which helped inform the study and its purpose to uncover their complex feelings related to changes in the neighborhood, including the light rail expansion. By “hanging out” with the community and embracing a participatory research stance, the study unveiled a nuanced understanding of how residents make sense of space and place in an evolving context. This paper sheds light on the dynamic interplay between space, place, and identity. The mapping component served as a counterpoint to traditional top-down power dynamics, allowing residents to visually articulate their boundaries of South Phoenix. As the co-collaborators’ maps challenged government-issued maps, the project highlighted the agency of Latinas/os in redefining spatial narratives. The incorporation of mapping, often overlooked in empirical literature, has emerged as a tool of resistance and empowerment, giving voice to historically marginalized perspectives. By integrating spatial analysis into the study of community dynamics, this paper’s findings contribute to a more holistic understanding of the impact of urban development on identity and sense of place. It underscores the importance of collaborative, bottom-up approaches in research and planning processes, emphasizing the role of spatial perceptions in shaping lived experiences.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. Given demographic data from co-collaborators, “Latina/o” is used throughout this publication. The demographic questionnaire inquired, “I identify as…” and co-collaborators were given 15 terms to identify individuals with diverse ancestral roots in the Americas, including Northern, Central, Southern, the Caribbean, and Africa. Co-collaborators identified as Latina, Latino, or Mexican. The collaborators did not choose “Latinx” as an identity. Latino/a is used throughout to be inclusive of co-collaborators’ identities.
2. Racialization is a political process in which ethnic or racial identities are ascribed to a relationship, social practice, or group that does not identify as such.
3. In research, words matter, and during this project, I intentionally shifted my own language from “participants” to “co-collaborators” to attempt to mitigate existing power structures that naturally occur during the data collection process – the term “co-collaborators” recognizes community members’ substantial role in the interview process and shaping the research narrative.