Urban Space and Social Cognition: The Effect of Urban Space on Intergroup Perceptions

• Author: Xuechunzi Bai,Maurice Crul,Kim Knipprath,Ismintha Waldring
• Published date: 01 September 2021
• Date: 01 September 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00027162211058710

192 ANNALS, AAPSS, 697, September 2021

DOI: 10.1177/00027162211058710

Urban Space

and Social

Cognition: The

Effect of Urban

Space on

Intergroup

Perceptions

By

KIM KNIPPRATH,

MAURICE CRUL,

ISMINTHA WALDRING,

and

XUECHUNZI BAI

1058710ANN THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMYURBAN SPACE AND SOCIAL COGNITION

research-article2021

Cities and neighborhoods are key sites of migration-

related diversity. Differences in lifestyle, class, ethnic-

ity, or religion become visible in urban spaces, such as

neighborhood bars, shops, or cafes. This article applies

a social cognitive approach to explore how urban spaces

shape the relationship between ethnic encounters and

intergroup perceptions. Theoretical work on urbanism

suggests that public and private spaces have different

effects on people’s perceptions of group interdepend-

ence and relative group status. This article contributes

to the ongoing debate between conflict and contact

schools of thought by defining how contextual condi-

tions promote ethnic diversity’s positive or negative

effects on intergroup perceptions.

Keywords: urban space; city; intergroup perceptions;

stereotype content; migration; social cog-

nition

Recent migration research shows renewed

attention to cities and neighborhoods as key

sites of migration-related diversity (Crul 2016;

Vertovec 2007). Cities with inhabitants compris-

ing more than 170 nationalities are becoming

more a rule than an exception. With no less than

50 percent of the population from first- or sec-

ond-generation migration backgrounds, and

more than 180 different nationalities, cities such

as Amsterdam or Rotterdam are hubs for ethnic

Kim Knipprath is a PhD candidate in the Sociology

Department at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His

research mainly focuses on interethnic relations at the

city and neighborhood levels. He has worked on several

projects related to the formation of interethnic attitudes

and perceptions among people with and without migra-

tion backgrounds.

Maurice Crul is a distinguished professor at the Free

University in Amsterdam. His research has mostly

focused on children of immigrants in a comparative

context. He is the author of numerous books, among

them Superdiversity: A New Vision on Integration (VU

University Press 2013) and The Changing Face of

World Cities (Russell Sage Foundation 2012).

Correspondence: k.r.knipprath@vu.nl