Understanding the spatial dimension of youth intergroup contact in a postaccord society

What is it about?

This article examines how Catholic and Protestant youth in Belfast, Northern Ireland, experience social interactions in everyday urban spaces such as parks, streets, bars and shops. Findings highlight key individual and structural processes through which public spaces become used or not by young people from different backgrounds.

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Photo by Lin Renais on Unsplash

Photo by Lin Renais on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Findings demonstrate the importance of both individual (e.g., past interaction experiences) and structural (e.g., aesthetics) aspects of urban spaces in influencing young people’s everyday interactions. They have implications for the development and use of physical spaces as sites of interaction in divided societies.