Neighborhoods have already been recognized as places of intense socialization and cultural production. However, due to changes in urbanization and social relations processes, they seem to be losing space and meaning. Nevertheless, some neighborhoods maintain their "live form". Thus, the aim of this study was to identify and to characterize such places, here named as "alive" neighborhoods. From a panel of experts , we tried to identify elements which characterize these neighborhoods, factors which enable their development/maintenance, and those that hinder this process. The "alive" neighborhoods were characterized in their social, environmental and cultural aspects. Socialization, intimacy, cooperation, the usage of its space and local institutions, besides specific symbols, bring the mentioned life to these places. These relations are enabled by familiarity, elements of rootedness, spatial contact, and cultural inheritance. In this neighborhood context the affective dimension is important, for it is responsible for feelings of cohesion, security and attachment to the place.
Communities; urban environments; environmental psychology
