Diversity and Belonging at the Neighborhood Square

‘Feeling at home’ has gained increased attention. Although it’s meaning differs for everyone, what we have in common is that everyone wants to feel at home, especially where one lives. But where many different groups live together, the question arises whether this is possible. As squares are seen as the public living room of the neighborhood, which enable different categories of people to meet, this research tried to answer the following research question: How do users of the Bospolderplein feel at home and experience the presence of different categories of people at the square as affecting this? Observations on the square were held and interviews were conducted with eleven individuals who use the Bospolderplein. It appears that most participants feel at home in the neighborhood, but not so much on the square itself. In many cases, feeling at home is improved by contact with neighbors, something that often lacks at the square. Whereas a few participants believed that the square is being claimed by Turkish and Moroccan residents, making them avoid the square, others were not bothered by their presence. For most of them, it was not the presence of others which restricted them from feeling at home, it is rather the lack of things to do on the square in combination with its uninviting design, as the square is mostly gray concrete.