Social Capital and Neighbourhoods that Work

Abstract

The concept of social capital has received increasing attention in recent years from both academics and the policy community. It has come to be widely used in debates about housing and neighbourhoods and figures strongly in discussions of social cohesion, community development and neighbourhood renewal. This paper provides an original discussion of some of the key issues related to these debates. It argues that, although it is widely used, the concept of social capital is poorly defined and much of the discussion is based upon assertion rather than upon evidence. The paper goes on to present the results from original social survey work carried out in Bournville in Birmingham, England, and referring to different parts of the Bournville estate. The results refer to the extent of bonding, bridging and linking social capital and how these relate to the social and economic differences between six neighbourhoods within Bournville. The survey evidence is not consistent with key assertions made in the existing literature in relation to age, poverty and class and the paper concludes by raising important reservations about the use of social capital as an analytical rather than a generic concept.

Contextualism and Sustainability: A Community Renewal in Old City of Beijing

“…They were chosen randomly, and in each group, four to six people participated in in-depth interviews. In our interviews with local residents in NLGX, bonding social capital among neighbors was lost some in the renewal process [55]. This results from three reasons.…”

Social Capital and Space

“…U Britaniji su napravljene strategije za obnovu susedstva (Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal) u kojima se kaže da socijalni problemi (npr. kriminal) nastaju usled niskog nivoa socijalnog kapitala u naselju (Middleton, Murie, Groves, 2005.). U Holandiji i Kanadi primenjena su arhitektonsko-urbanistička rešenja za prostorno približavanje stanovnika postojećih naselja: pešačke zone u naseljima 18 ili grupisanje dvorišta između kuća (slika 2) (Halpern, 2005.…”

De sociale cohesie voorbij : Actieve burgers in achterstandswijken

“…Betoogd wordt dat niet zozeer zou moeten worden ingezet op bevordering van ontmoetingskansen, maar het versterken van een vitaal buurtbeeld. (Middleton et al 2005). Door de ongelijksoortige operationaliseringen is het niet verwonderlijk dat de bevindingen over de effecten van sociale bindingen tegenstrijdig zijn.…”