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Social capital in action in urban environments: an intersection of theory, research and practice literature

journal contribution
posted on 2011-10-26, 11:06 authored by Primali Paranagamage, Simon Austin, Andrew Price, Fahmida Khandokar
This paper attempts to widen our understanding of the relationship between social capital and the physical environment through an exploration of the intersection of theory, urban design practitioner guidance and empirical research on social capital that considers the built environment as a variable. Theory suggests that social capital in a neighbourhood can grow over time, and that stability of residency and opportunity for social interaction can help to establish the bonds, bridges and networks that build trust and participation. The content analysis of a selection of literature on urban design guidance revealed 12 recurrent attributes that help people to live, work and relax and thus encourage formal or informal interaction and longer‐term residency in the area in which they live, and hence the growth of social capital. As urban design guidance does not use such a term, these attributes were substantiated through reference to empirical research and social capital theory. This exercise gives a better understanding of the specificities of environmental variables, aiding our conceptualization of social capital. If we aspire to assessment tools that incorporate knowledge of predictable relationships between the variables concerned, then it becomes clear there is a long way to go in developing our understanding of the interplay of urban development and social capital.

History

School

  • Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering

Citation

PARANAGAMAGE, P., AUSTIN, S.A., PRICE, A.D.F. ... et al., 2010. Social capital in action in urban environments: an intersection of theory, research and practice literature. Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, 3 (3), pp. 231–252. Special Issue: The Second International Conference on Whole Life Urban Sustainability and its Assessment, 22–24 April 2009.

Publisher

© Taylor & Francis

Version

  • NA (Not Applicable or Unknown)

Publication date

2010

Notes

This article is closed access. It was published in the Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability [© Taylor & Francis] and the definitive version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2010.526374

Language

  • en