The common connotation of the term neighbourhood is derived from the vocabulary of architecture and urbanism to describe certain part of the city with its specificities. Moreover, it has a deeper social meaning in terms of the urbanized, well off community area as opposed to the illegal settlements in some countries, especially in the favelas in Latin America where ‘neighbourhood’ means respectful community.
Henry Lefebvre suggested that in spite of all attempts of modernity and modernization to homogenize and commodify space, this project of ‘normalization’ conducted by the states ultimately provoked opposition and negativity. The consequence was a plurality of what he called ‘differentiated’ spaces that continued to persist under neo-capitalism, where difference is registered and linked to the clandestine or underground side of life.
The social (class) segregation through the process of homogenization in urban environment created different extreme ‘neighbourhoods’ such as isolated ‘residential’ areas and even gated communities on one side and illegal settlements and ghettos on the other all creating different socio-spatial environment. In the language of sub-cultural groups, but also gangs in big cities, the same term neighbourhood is therefore understood as clearly marked territory of control and hegemony through the use of space.
In the counties of real socialism the city area consisting of big blocks of skyscrapers, (in East Germany called “platenbau”) the neighbourhood was clearly marked by the “borders” of the block and is mainly seen as a dormitory. In the period of “post-socialism” the thorough urban change affected those city blocks as well, be it with the process of gentrification, or as it often happened, socio-spatial transformation into “urban ghettos”.