Home and Near-Home Territories

Abstract

Home does not end at the front door but rather extends beyond. This chapter is about that region beyond, those exterior spaces adjoining the home: porches, steps, front yards, back yards, driveways, sidewalks, and alleys. These spaces are of crucial interest for two reasons. First, they immediately adjoin the home; consequently, what happens in these outside spaces strongly influences the quality of life in the home. Second, they represent spaces where the two major types of settings in residential life—the private, personal, and owned versus the public, shared, and open to the community—interpenetrate. Consequently, these settings are of considerable interest for understanding the dialetic between individuals and local society.