How adolescents define their home neighborhoods conceptually and spatially

To advance person-centered methods of operationalizing youths' social environment, we explored adolescents' definitions of "home neighborhood" by integrating narrative data with geographic information systems. We gathered data using semi-structured interviews and sketch maps with 55 adolescents aged 11-19 (78% African-American) in urban neighborhoods. We analyzed transcripts for themes through an iterative coding process and geocoded neighborhood sketches and activity locations using ArcGIS software. Thematic analyses revealed that adolescents identify their home neighborhood based on relationships with residents, personal histories, and positive cognitive or affective responses to the area. Participants rarely drew polygons to represent neighborhoods, and their activities were often located outside of self-identified boundaries. Their views on the "home neighborhood" construct did not predict their strategies for defining spatial boundaries. Overall, the results suggest that adolescents hold idiosyncratic perspectives on their neighborhood spaces, shaped by their experiences and social identities, that have implications for place-based research and initiatives targeting youth.