Love thy neighbor? Remnants of the social-mix policy in the Kolenkit neighborhood, Amsterdam

Social Cohesion and Neighbor Interactions within Multifamily Apartment Buildings: Challenges of COVID-19 and Directions of Action

“…Recognizing the importance of shared open spaces for developing social connections among occupants in high-rise buildings, Ghazali et al promote the "sky neighborhood" concept; they propose a new kind of arrangement with accesses to each apartment via six-story-high landscaped courtyards, in this way eliminating corridors and improving the social and environmental quality of intermediate spaces in high-rise housing buildings [40]. On the other hand, in cases where potential meeting spaces are lacking in the housing environment, opportunities for casual encounters among residents are weak; thus, Bektaş and Taşan-Kok notice that individual entrances to housing units are the subject of most occupants' complaints about neighborly relations, as they could at least meet someone unexpectedly in the common hall [2]. Speaking about specific solutions for the built environment from the perspective of social interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pinheiro and Luís give several suggestions for common spaces in buildings: widening of circulation spaces and entrance halls, existence of external spaces (balcony, terrace, flat roof) accessible to all residents, natural lighting and ventilation, favoring minimalist design and the use of easily washable equipment and materials [23].…”

“…The grouping of residents in a multifamily apartment building (MFAB) is without any specific connections, and the spatial proximity will not itself guarantee their sociological closeness [1,2]. With the increase in the total number of residents, the possibility for the neighbors to know each other decreases and the feeling of belonging to a certain social group weakens.…”

“…Having in mind that neighbor relations are a key indicator of the strength of local social communities [15,16] and that they can contribute to social cohesion [2], which is considered a relevant element of social prosperity [13,17], as well as the fact that the physical environment plays an important role in encouraging social contacts [2,18], it is obvious that there is a need to provide adequate spaces for communication between neighbors in MFABs. This was especially emphasized during the lockdowns and mobility restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were obliged to stay home to prevent the spread of the infection.…”