Some Sources of Residential Satisfaction in an Urban Slum

Abstract Urban renewal planning has assumed that social benefits would accrue to the former residents of slums. But the meanings that the slum areas have for their residents and the consequent effects that relocation would have for them have not been adequately understood. Prior to being located from Boston's West End redevelopment area, most residents experienced profound satisfaction from living in the area. Their satisfaction derived, in large part, from the close associations maintained among the local people and from their strong sense of identity to the local places. In turn, people and places provided a framework for personal and social integration.