Real Life Methods ran from October 2005 to January 2009. This website is archived and no longer maintained. For up to date information, please see www.manchester.ac.uk/realities
Connected Lives
Community Life Exhibition and workshop, September 2008
View the Community Life Exhibition online.
Connected Lives: Understanding networks, neighbourhoods and communities [new window] Presentation given by Andrew Clark and Nick Emmel on 15 September at the Burley Lodge Centre.
Project Summary
In ‘Connected Lives’ we are exploring the dynamics of social networks
and ‘community’ interactions, through a multi-dimensional neighbourhood
case study. We are seeking to explain how social networks operate in spatial
contexts. Our approach brings together perspectives from a range of disciplines
including health, transport studies, human geography, informatics and sociology.
The research aims to understand
communities through an exploration of the interactions of social networks.
We will explore how different social groups (according to, for example social
class, gender, ethnicity) construct networks of friends, relatives, neighbours
and service providers, and how these networks are maintained over time and
across space.
We have chosen an inner city district of Leeds with a heterogeneous population and diverse levels of affluence. We will investigate how and why the social networks we discover are perceived to be important to these groups, and are keen to understand the interaction between travel, communication technologies, and transport service provision and the creation and maintenance of these networks.
View Connected Lives Findings leaflet [pdf, 185kb, new window]
View
an overview of Hyde Park and Burley Road (Leeds) [pdf, 3.31MB, new window]
This is
an ongoing document presenting an over view of the fieldsite for the
Connected Lives project. It
includes national and locally available statistics along with information
about local voluntary and third sector organisations.
Research Questions
How do people perceive social contacts and networks? - How are communities, neighbourhoods, and networks formed in different settings and contexts?
- What are the interactions between mobilities and social networks in different communities and how does this affect health and wellbeing?
- How does the mode of communication (eg face-to-face, letter, msn, telephone, email) affect how networks are experienced?
- What methods are appropriate for understanding networks and communities?
- How can different methods be combined to create ‘fuller accounts’ of networks and communities?
Research Methods
We are using a creative blend of qualitative and quantitative approaches including:
- Participatory social mapping
- Regular fieldsite walkarounds and walking interviews
- Interactive diaries, with qualitative interviews
- Qualitative and quantitative techniques for representing neighbourhood and networks.
We will report on the opportunities and limitations of using this range of multi-disciplinary methods for understanding community networks.
Information for participants
For more information for anyone interested in taking part in the Connected Lives research project, see our project leaflet [new window].
You can also visit our Myspace page: www.myspace.com/hydeparkconnected [new window].
Project update: December 2007
See our project update leaflet for a brief update of our activities over the past year and and outline of our plans for the coming months. [Link opens in new window, 3 MB.]
Presentations
‘Reflections on users and user engagement in community research ’ [opens in new window] Emmel, N and Clark, A. Presented at INVOLVE 6th National Conference, Public involvement in research - getting it right and making a difference, 11-12 November.
‘Participatory walking interviews: More than walking and talking?’ [opens in new window] Presented at 'Peripatetic Practices': a workshop on walking (London) March 2008
‘Healthy Communities’ [opens in new window]. Presented at Healthy Universities: An event to launch the Leeds Student Health Needs Assessment; organised by the Leeds Primary Care Trust, University of Leeds, July 2007
'Learning to use visual methods: a dialogue between two researchers investigating networks, neighbourhoods and communities' [opens in new window]. Presented at ESRC Researcher Development Initiative: Building Capacity in Visual Methods: An Introduction to Visual Methods, University of Leeds, June 2007
'We walk the walk, but can we talk the talk (with deference to John Lee Hooker): walkabouts to understand the lived environment of community' [opens in new window]. Presented at ESRC / NCRM Qualiti Interdisciplinary Seminar Series: Developing Mobile Methods, University of Wales (Cardiff), June 2007.
Research Team
Dr Nick Emmel (Project Leader), Frances Hodgson (Project Leader), Dr Andrew Clark (Researcher), Dr Jon Prosser, Dr Mark Birkin.
Project Associates: Prof Justin Keen, Dr Robert West, Dr Lai Fong Chiu, Dr Kahryn Hughes, Dr Andrew Turner.
Enquiries
For further information about this project please contact Nick Emmel (n.d.emmel@leeds.ac.uk)
Andrew Clark was a member of the Real Life Methods Node working on the Connected Lives project from December 2005 until November 2008. He is now based in the School of English, Sociology, Politics and Contemporary History at the University of Salford where he can be contacted on a.clark@salford.ac.uk
