Moving Beyond Neighborhood: Activity Spaces and Ecological Networks As Contexts for Youth Development

-that is, clusters of actors and locations that intersect at higher rates-for understanding contextual influences that are inadequately captured by geographically defined neighborhoods. We conclude with an overview of new approaches to data collection that incorporate insights from an activity-space and ecological-network perspective on neighborhood and contextual influences on youth. Our approach offers (1) a new theoretical approach to understanding the links between neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and youth-relevant dimensions of neighborhood social capital; (2) a basis for conceptualizing contextual influences that vary within, or extend beyond, traditionally understood geographic neighborhoods; and (3) a suite of methodological tools and resources to address the mechanisms of contextual influence more precisely. Research into the causes and consequences of urban neighborhood routine activity structures will illuminate the social processes accounting for compromised youth outcomes in disadvantaged neighborhoods and enhance the capacity for effective youth-oriented interventions.