Report: Young People and Territoriality in British Cities

 Young People and Territoriality in British Cities

By Keith Kintrea, Jon Bannister, Jon Pickering, Maggie Reid and Naofumi Suzuki,  University of Glasgow

An exploration of territorial behaviour among young people in disadvantaged areas of British cities.

Territoriality among young people has been identified in some previous studies as a source of social exclusion and disadvantage and as one of the roots of gang behaviour. It has also begun to be recognised by policy-makers working to improve young people’s life chances and to promote safer communities.

This research focuses on understanding territoriality in its own right and examines:

• what territoriality is, how it is experienced by young people and who is involved;
• the origins of territoriality in disadvantaged places;
• the impacts of territoriality on young people’s lives;
• the range of projects which aim to deter or counteract territorial behaviour;
• the public policy implications of recognising territoriality as an important social force in disadvantaged places.

The report is available for free download at http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/details.asp?pubID=978

See also http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/oct/14/children-socialexclusion