2. Trust as a Spatial Concept for Urban Studies

This chapter introduces trust theory to urban studies. It is argued that shifts in trust relations and the loss of trust that US society has witnessed in the past decades can be seen and felt in our cityscapes. As a relational species dependent on social interaction, our urban societies are essentially built on trust, allowing people to interact with strangers and unfamiliar environments. Thus far, however, trust has been mostly overlooked in urban studies, and there is no conceptual approach that supports this urban dimension of trust. It is thus the central goal of this chapter to introduce a spatial dimension to the study of trust. First, this chapter argues that trust is dependent on spatial contexts and atmospheres, and, when applied to urban studies, needs to be researched in its spatial context, the field. Second, spatial familiarity is presented as a positive driver of trust that is of particular relevance in the context of people’s homes and neighborhoods. Third, trust as a relational entity unfolds in relation to its social and physical environment, meaning that trust relations shape urban development, as the discussion of trust in the context of the US housing crisis is going to show.