Distinction, cohesion and the social networks of Australia’s elite suburbs

Abstract

Understanding the role of elite neighbourhoods in wider processes of rising inequality at national and global scales is an emerging agenda in urban studies. In this paper I focus on the role of the neighbourhood in the production of elite social networks, as a source of social capital. Focusing on three of Australia's most affluent neighbourhoods -Mosman (Sydney), Toorak (Melbourne) and Cottesloe (Perth)the study involved a mixed method approach, including a survey of over 1,000 residents, and follow up in depth interviews with forty-six of them. The paper presents descriptive quantitative characterisation of elite neighbourhood residents' social networks, using occupation as proxy for the social class positions of network members. Further qualitative analysis is presented to explain the role of neighbourhood institutions and everyday practicesincluding neighbourly relations, random encounters, and participation in schools and sports clubsin the formation of elite social networks. The findings demonstrate that elite neighbourhoods should be understood as more than merely fortified playgrounds for conspicuous consumption, rather important sites of capital accumulation.

Space and social capital: social contacts in a segregated city

“…As such, rather than serving as a coping mechanism used in deprived areas to counter increasing structural disadvantage and urban marginality, our study indicates that social capital emerges strongly in affluent areas, arguably as a condition for the reproduction of privilege (e.g. Wiesel, 2019).…”

“…To begin, the self-segregation of the upper (middle) classes logically causesthe privileged to be physically closer to one another, and consequently produces the concentration of social resources (Wiesel, 2019). Social interactions among upper-class individuals are particularly likely when neighborhoods offer plenty of meeting places where people can gather and engage in joint activities, which is common in affluent neighborhoods (e.g.…”

“…Indeed, these areas provide insulation within which residents can embrace social similarity and avoid contact with social difference, constituting what Atkinson (2008) has termed a "misanthropic" form of social capital. In the end, these valuable social networks -instances of "managerial" social capital -in the urban space are likely an essential condition for reproduction of privilege (see also Wiesel, 2019).…”

“…Marques, 2015;Pinkster & Volker, 2009;Small, 2007;Van Eijk, 2010). In general, however, research has focused on urban poverty or lower-class areas and has left aside specific explanations of how spatial segregation may influence access to resourceful networks across the entire urban structure (c.f., Wiesel, 2019). To shed light on this issue, we provide a theoretical overview of the ongoing process of neoliberal urbanization (e.g.…”