Drawing your neighborhood: How cognitive mapping reveals racial divides in defining and describing neighborhoods in Detroit

Current neighborhood planning and policy often rely on the delineation of neighborhood boundaries. However, this reliance can marginalize various groups, particularly racial identities, whose definitions, experiences, and perceptions of where they live may diverge significantly. In a changing area of Detroit, we conducted 46 semi-structured interviews in which residents named, drew, and described their neighborhood. Our findings revealed a stark contrast: While most white residents drew boundaries defined by historic designations, developers, or the city government and often used broad, generalized descriptions, many Black residents did not identify with the concept of neighborhood altogether. Instead, they defined community through organizations such as block clubs and described the area with detailed personal narratives. This study demonstrates how administrative maps of neighborhoods often reify the spatial privilege of wealthy, white-defined areas while rendering invisible Black-defined areas that have nevertheless cultivated their own localized governance, community, and identity.