Journal of Planning Education and Research, Ahead of Print.
Neighborhoods are typically conceptualised as static administrative units with clearly defined boundaries. However, residents’ everyday mobility forms activity spaces which are variable in both extent and fabric. This study introduces a novel aggregate model of individualized activity spaces based on Public Participation geographic information system (PPGIS) data collected in Espoo (Finland) to capture the variable and fuzzy character of the spaces people frequent in their everyday lives. Building on the theoretical concept of soft spaces, we propose a GIS-based method for identifying functional neighborhoods which could be useful in planning practice with a view to knowledge, actor involvement, and planning policies.