Names of vernacular neighborhoods: An online data collection methodology using ArcGIS Survey123

The concept of “vernacular neighborhood”, as opposed to “official neighborhood”, has recently gained prominence across disciplines. Indeed, it allows framing urban social, economic, and planning challenges from the perspective of residents, fostering their involvement in decision-making processes. While numerous studies focus on mapping vernacular neighborhoods, some explore their toponymic dimension, examining the everyday use and variation of neighborhood names by dwellers. However, the scarcity of literature in this area has hindered methodological reflections, particularly for quantitative data analysis. This contribution presents an innovative approach for collecting vernacular neighborhood names through an online survey administered to 758 participants with diverse demographic backgrounds in Turin, Italy. Developed using ArcGIS StoryMaps and Survey123 applications, the survey aimed to gather the toponyms that residents use for vernacular neighborhoods. The paper details the survey’s design, the methodological considerations underlying its structure, and its implementation process. It also critically evaluates the method’s strengths and limitations, including its effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability, particularly regarding the reusability of its outputs. Despite certain challenges, the findings are consistent and might contribute to urban and toponomastic studies by advancing quantitative approaches to mapping vernacular neighborhood names and providing replicable tools for similar research in new contexts.