Territoriality

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Territoriality

• What words come to mind when you think of the
  term territoriality??

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Definitions of territoriality have clustered
around 2 themes
1. Biological perspective emphasizes the
demarcation and defense of space

• 2. Social/Psychological perspective emphasizes
  organizational and attachment functions
  

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Definition of Territoriality
A pattern of behavior and attitudes held by an
individual or group that is based on perceived,
attempted or actual control of a definable
physical space, object or idea that may involve
habitual occupation, defense, marking and
personalization of it. (Gifford, 1997, p. 120).
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Marking and Personalization
Marking placing an object or substance in a
space to indicate ones territorial intentions,
e.g., leaving coats, books, etc. on chair or
table when going though cafeteria line or looking
for book at library, etc. male dogs mark
property boundaries.
Personalization marking in a manner that
indicates ones identity, e.g., decorating desk
with pictures, momentos, vanity license plates.
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Gang Graffiti as a Territorial Marker

• Source Alejandro Alonso, Territoriality among
  African-American Street Gangs in LA
  
• Graffiti (little scratches) are unauthorized
  physical traces that present individual
  perspectives
  
• Street gangs often use graffiti to mark their
  territories in urban areas
  

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Types of Graffiti

• Political Graffiti writings aimed at the public
  to communicate ideas against the establishment.
  
• Placed on busy thoroughfares to guarantee
  extensive viewing
  

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Political graffiti
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More political graffiti
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Types of Graffiti (contd)

• Existential Graffiti most common type
  personal commentaries about a variety of subject
  matter. Most typical themes sexual or racial
  content.
• Common sites public bathrooms, classroom
  desktops, elevators, stairwells

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Existential Graffiti
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Types of Graffiti (contd)

• Tagging stylized signature of the writers own
  name
  
• Most widespread type of graffititypically seen
  on the walls, buses and trains of the urban
  environment

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Tagging
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Tagging (contd)

• ?purpose of tagging is getting up, increasing
  visibility of ones own name
  
• ?status associated with getting name in
  dangerous and/or inaccessible locations
  
• ?most taggers are not involved in other crimes

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Types of Graffiti (contd)

• Piecing a decorative expression of the name
  that demands artistic skill and an understanding
  of aerosol paint control
  
• Historically associated with Black and Puerto
  Rican youths in NYC but growing involvement of
  white middle-class suburban youth

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Piecing
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Types of Graffiti (contd)

• Gang Graffiti least studied type

written for other gang members
hard to get cooperation of gang
members to explain symbolism
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Styles of Gang Graffiti

• Hispanic gangs usually write in an elaborate
  style of large letters referred to as placas
  
• 3 common styles
• block or square letters
• loop letters
• pointed letters

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Block Lettering of 18th Street Gangs in south LA
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Pointed letters of the East LA Street Gang in
Aliso Village
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Styles of Gang Graffiti (contd)

• Black gangs usually use less stylized block or
  square letters in what are called hit-ups
  
• Graffiti often in basic lettering style and less
  colorful
  
• Often uses an extensive collection of symbols and
  codes for communication purposes

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basic Black gang graffiti of the East Coast Crips
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Symbolism in Gang Graffiti

• Symbols often used to identify gang
• pointed crown Latin Kings
• 6 pointed star Gangster Disciples
• pitchforkLatin Disciples
• Other codes
• K after the name of a rival gang means
  killer (a direct threat to the other gang)
  
• M and 187 also mean murder

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More Symbolism in Gang Graffiti
Hispanic gangs
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West Boulevard Crisps use the Warner Bros. Logo
Hand sign of the East Coast Crisps in Los Angeles
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Graffiti as Territorial Markers

• Alonso argues that the primary purpose of gang
  graffiti is to mark their territory
  
• Gangs are very territorialMany gang names
  include the name of a location that is an
  important part of their gang identity.
  
• A careful reading of the walls will give a good
  idea of the area claimed by a gang

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Black gang graffiti of the Rollin 20s Bloods
with arrow as territorial marker
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The Campanella Park Pirus lay claim to Compton
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This headstone contains the names of several dead
gang members of a Compton gang as a way of
honoring members killed in action
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Aggressive Graffiti

• Aggressive graffiti graffiti written by gang
  members that crosses out pre-existing graffiti of
  a rival.

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Aggressive Graffiti
Rolling 20s vs. 30s??
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For more info on gang graffiti

• Members.tripod.com/carl815/grafitti.html
• (has examples from CT)
• www.gangwar.com/dynamics.htmgraffiti
• (more info on interpreting gang graffiti)

Now, back to the more conceptual aspects
of territoriality . . . . . . . .
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Research has suggested that there are 3 types of
territory

• Primary territories
• Secondary territories
• Public territories

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Types of Territories Primary

• Owned by individuals or primary groups
• Controlled on a relatively permanent basis
• Central to their daily lives
• Examples persons home, bedroom, car?

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Types of Territories Secondary

• Less important to us than primary territories
• Have moderate significance to their occupants
• Some legitimacy to claim of space beyond simply
  occupying it
  
• Examples persons desk or work area on the job
  school locker, (favorite restaurant table)
  

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Types of Territories Public

• Open to anyone in good standing in the community
• Some public territories may be limited by legal
  restrictions, e.g., bars and taverns are only
  public territories to those of legal age
  
• Not central to personal identity
• Examples public beaches, stores, buses
  sidewalks, libraries, parks, etc.

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What organizing functions does territoriality
serve?

• Primary territory, e.g., bedroom, organizes space
  by allowing a place that promotes solitude,
  allows intimacy, and expression of personal
  identity.
• Secondary territories, e.g., desk at work,
  promotes in-group/out-group distinctions, i.e.,
  who is allowed to use space vs. who isnt.
  
• Public territories, e.g., library table,
  organizes space, our claim to space allows us to
  create an interpersonal distancing mechanism.

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Comparing primary, secondary and public
territories on 5 dimensions

• Dimensions
• Duration how long do we typically occupy that
  space?
  
• Centrality how significant is the space for the
  person?
  
• Marking intentions what is the motivation
  behind the marking behavior?
  
• Marking range what kinds of markers do we use?
• Responses to invasion how do we typically
  respond to territorial invasions from others?

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3 Types of infringement

• Invasion outsider enters territory with
• intent of taking control of space.
• Example While youre living on campus, your
• parents convert your bedroom to a den

• Violation temporary incursion, usually
• goal is annoyance.
• Examples Vandalism, burglary, computer
  virus,
  
• jamming radio waves

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3 Types of infringement (contd)

• Contamination leaving something that degrades
  the territory.
  
• Examples Chemical plant leaving poisonous
• wastes that affect adjacent properties
  houseguest
  
• who leaves your kitchen filthy.

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3 Types of Defenses

• Prevention defenses use of markers to warn
• others that space is in use

• Examples
• coat on restaurant chair
• towel spread out on beach
• signs Keep out/No trespassing
• fences

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3 Types of Defenses (contd)

• Reaction defenses responses to infringement
• after it happens.

• Examples
• physically striking intruder/physical
  intervention
  
• legal action
• verbal responses Get out of here

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3 Types of Defenses (contd)

• Social boundary defenses rituals engaged
• in by hosts and visitors at boundaries.

• Examples
• immigration control/custom inspection at
• border
• airport security
• membership credentials, e.g., entry
  pass,
  
• password/secret handshake

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An Example Study on Territoriality Taylor
Lanni (1981)

• Research Question does being on ones own turf
  lead to greater influence in mutual
  decision-making?

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Taylor Lanni (1981)

• Students classified by personality test into 3
  categories
  
• high dominance
• medium dominance
• low dominance
• Students formed into groups of 3
• (1 hi, 1 medium 1 low dominance)

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Taylor Lanni (1981)

• Students triads were randomly assigned to the
  dorm room of one of the students
  
• Task discuss a budget problem and reach a
  consensus (1 resident, 2 visitors)
  
• Question Would the decision reached be
  influenced more by turf or personality?
  

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Taylor Lanni (1981)

• Results location more important than
  personality.
  
• Consensus reflected the territory owners point
  of
  
• view more often than visitors point of
  view.
  
• Moral if you want decisions to go your way, do
  meetings at your place!
  
• ---------------------------------------------
  ---------------
  
• In sports, lots of data suggesting the home
  field advantage.

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Defensible Space

• Idea developed by Oscar Newman
• Key notion of defensible space - structure the
  physical layout of a community to allow residents
  to control the areas around their home, including
  the streets and grounds outside their buildings
  and the lobbies and corridors within them.

• Reference www.huduser.org/publication/pdf/def.pdf

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A territoriality perspective on Defensible Space
Hi
Sense of control
Lo
Primary Secondary Public
Territory
Structure the physical design of residential
areas to make public territory feel more like
primary and secondary territories so that people
will feel (and exercise) more control over these
areas.
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Evolution of the concept A tale of two public
housing unitsPruitt-Igoe and Carr Square
Village

• Pruitt-Igoe was a 2,740-unit public housing
  highrise development built in the 1960s
  
• in St. Louis.
• Carr Square Village was another, older public
  housing unit (rowhouse design) across the street
  from Pruitt-Igoe
  

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Pruitt-Igoe

• Designed by a nationally eminent architect
• 11 story buildings
• Ground floor was designed with no residences
  (intended for community activities)
  
• Every 3rd floor had a laundry room, communal
  room, and a garbage room
  
• Elevator only stopped on every third floor

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Pruitt-Igoe
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Carr Square Village (rowhouse design)
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Both buildings housed single-parent welfare
families, but buildings had very different fates

• (highrise)
• Pruitt-Igoe
• Mailboxes vandalized
• Corridors, elevators, lobbies stairs were
  dangerous places to walk
  
• Hallways covered with graffiti and garbage
• Building never had more than 60 occupancy

• (row house)
• Carr Square Village
• Remained fully occupied and trouble-free during
  the construction, occupancy, and decline of
  Pruitt-Igoe
  
• What made the difference?

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Interior Hallway Pruitt-Igoe
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10 years after its construction, Pruitt-Igoe was
torn down
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Newmans observations at Pruitt-Igoe

• Interiors of the apartments were not run-down.

• Landings shared by only 2 families were
• well-maintained.

• Corridors shared by 20 families, and lobbies,
• elevators, and stairs shared by 150 families
  were
  
• a disaster.

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Newman concluded
Residents maintained and controlled those areas
that were clearly defined as their own . . .
but

• Public areas (lobbies, elevators, stairwells)
  evoked no feeling of identity or control.
  
• In these areas, it was impossible to tell
  resident from intruder.
  
• Residents were unable to develop standards about
  acceptable behavior for those areas.

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Why do highrise apartments occupied by
middle-income people work?

• Middle-income apartment buildings have funds for
  doormen and resident super- intendents to watch
  over and maintain the common public areas.
  
• Public housing apartments do not have funds for
  such individuals.

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(No Transcript)
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Newman classifies housing into 3 types

• Single-family houses (detached houses,
  semi-detached houses, row houses)
  
• Walkups
• Highrises

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4 common features of Single Family Homes
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5 Characteristics of Walkups (Garden Apts)
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3 characteristics of Highrise Apartments
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Summary of effects of building type on behavior

• A familys claim to a territory diminishes as the
  number of families who share that claim
  increases.
  
• When a small of families share an area
  (interior or exterior), it is relatively easy to
  reach an informal agreement about acceptable
  usage of the area.
• When a large of people share a communal space,
  people are less likely to identify with it, or to
  feel they have a right to control the activity
  taking place there.

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Announcements

• Activity Sheets 3, 4, 5, and 6 are due at the
  start of class next Thursday (3/21)
  
• You will need a special pin number from your
  advisor to register for Fall 2002