New mobilities and the formation and maintenance of the personal communities of social housing residents

With reference to the relationship between 'new mobilities' and contemporary community formation, this article discusses qualitative research findings of case studies of social housing residents' use of communication and transport technologies in the formation and maintenance of their 'personal communities'. The 'new mobilities paradigm' views communication and transport technologies as resources which are unevenly distributed locally and globally. Underpinning the research is concern for contemporary housing renewal policies informed by 'social mix' which view community as geographically bound rather than as dynamic networks in social space. Using qualitative methods and based in Sydney, the purpose of the research was to explore the extent to which public housing residents potentially affected by such policies are able to access mobilities resources in the formation and maintenance of the personal communities, and the character of their social networks. The findings indicate that the capacity for low-income residents to form and maintain social networks is impaired by constrained access to communication and mobility resources. Hence social ties which can be maintained by frequent face-to-face communication are extremely important to this group. As technology has increased the importance of social propinquity over geography in the formation of our personal communities, living within a socially disparate neighbourhood may not provide the opportunity for high levels of face-to-face connectivity.