Barriers and Boundaries: How Residents Make Meaning of Segregating Built Environments

Built environments have structured urban space in racist and classist ways, contributing to residential segregation and related inequalities. Previous research has examined how perceivable built environment features become symbolic boundaries that structure both socio-spatial division and meaning-making, but little research has examined how physical barriers—features that carry symbolic meaning and limit connectivity between nearby areas—may promote both symbolic “othering” and inhibit contact between residents on either side. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, we examine how residents interpret and experience physical barriers and symbolic boundaries in race-, income-, and race-and-income distinct areas in Houston, Texas. We describe three typologies of barriers/boundaries (unremarkable, intrusive, and hyper-salient), demonstrating how the same barrier or boundary can have different meanings for people on either side. For physical barriers, these meanings were often mediated by residents’ actions. Our findings extend theorization of how the built environment shapes interpretations and experiences of segregation, and vice versa.