The West Side of the City of Buffalo, New York, is a neighborhood in racial and ethnic transition, demographically. However, at any given time it represents a snapshot of a geographic area that is diverse economically, ethnically, and racially, and in terms of its built environment. I use the notion of ‘patchwork’ first as a literal interpretation based on a quilting project I facilitated with children from an after-school program in this location. Second, ‘patchwork’ is used as a metaphor capturing results of neighborhood explorations led by the children over three years (2003–06). Specifically, as I explore children's perceptions of ‘neighborhood’, the notion of ‘patchwork’ seems to accommodate their varied understandings, views, and perspectives of their neighborhoods well. Simultaneously, the notion also contributes to the fluid and active construction of the term in urban geography.
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