From Neighborhood to Destination: How Airbnb Hosts Describe Edgehill

Abstract

FROM NEIGHBORHOOD TO DESTINATION: HOW AIRBNB HOSTS DESCRIBE EDGEHILL by Shannon Kearney Kuluk Peabody College of Vanderbilt University May 2026 Major Area: Community Development and Action Number of Words: 180 This study examines how Airbnb hosts describe the Edgehill neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee, and how these descriptions reflect changing constructions of neighborhood value and identity over time. Using listing data from 2015 and 2024, this analysis examines host-written “Neighborhood Overview” descriptions through inductive and deductive thematic coding, focusing on themes of proximity, amenities, neighborhood identity, ownership language, and non-description. Findings show that hosts consistently frame Edgehill in terms of accessibility, emphasizing proximity to nearby entertainment districts rather than presenting it as a distinct destination. Over time, neighborhood descriptions become increasingly market-oriented, coinciding with the rise of professional, multi-listing hosts and a decline in place-specific, individualized language. Listings rely more heavily on references to surrounding neighborhoods and city-level branding, suggesting that Edgehill’s identity is increasingly constructed through external associations and the broader tourism image of “Music City.” Overall, Airbnb descriptions function as a form of discursive placemaking in which both what is said and what is left unsaid help normalize the treatment of Edgehill as a commodified tourism space, with important implications for how neighborhood value and belonging are imagined.