Abstract:Sociologists, political scientists, and economists have described different dimensions and functions of social capital from their disciplinary perspectives, emphasizing the value and impact of social relationships, governance institutions, or efficient and reliable economic transactions, respectively. In this article, we propose to integrate all three perspectives and the research accumulated in those fields in a common, practical framework for effectively using social capital assets in producing value-adding … Show more
“…Slums in turn depress land prices until they become too attractive for development and real estate tax revenue, creating pressure from both private and government sectors for redevelopment. This cycle can turn vicious when urban areas become too expensive or too dangerous, provoking middle‐class flight towards suburbs and exurbs, creating a city of extremes, with a downtown dedicated to office space that commuters leave for the suburbs and with growing areas of urban blight, populated by squatters and affected by high unemployment and all the manifestations of what we call “anti‐social” capital (Bernardez & Kaufman, ): crime, vandalism, addictions, homelessness, and slumification.…”
How can 21st century cities respond to the challenges of massive urbanization and the dramatic cycles of boom and bust that create abrupt gentrification and growing slums? How can urban growth escape the zero‐sum game that turns zip codes into destiny and makes social mobility and integration more challenging and difficult? City Doctors is a Mega planning–based new methodology to transform cities that holds the promise of turning social and human capital into value‐adding social performance. This article presents the fundamental concepts and framework for this new approach and reviews the results of City Doctors as applied in the description of four massive, long‐term experiences in Argentina, Mexico, and Panama.
“…Slums in turn depress land prices until they become too attractive for development and real estate tax revenue, creating pressure from both private and government sectors for redevelopment. This cycle can turn vicious when urban areas become too expensive or too dangerous, provoking middle‐class flight towards suburbs and exurbs, creating a city of extremes, with a downtown dedicated to office space that commuters leave for the suburbs and with growing areas of urban blight, populated by squatters and affected by high unemployment and all the manifestations of what we call “anti‐social” capital (Bernardez & Kaufman, ): crime, vandalism, addictions, homelessness, and slumification.…”
How can 21st century cities respond to the challenges of massive urbanization and the dramatic cycles of boom and bust that create abrupt gentrification and growing slums? How can urban growth escape the zero‐sum game that turns zip codes into destiny and makes social mobility and integration more challenging and difficult? City Doctors is a Mega planning–based new methodology to transform cities that holds the promise of turning social and human capital into value‐adding social performance. This article presents the fundamental concepts and framework for this new approach and reviews the results of City Doctors as applied in the description of four massive, long‐term experiences in Argentina, Mexico, and Panama.
“…The stakeholders also include the society and shared world in which we all live. Not considering this external reality has led to many a failure, and the literature is replete with the corpses (Kaufman, ; Kaufman, ; Bernardez & Kaufman, ).…”
Decision makers are tasked with making good and evidence‐based decisions. What they choose must bring positive results. A useful decision will be based on hard criteria for (1) where the institution is going, (2) why it is going there, (3) how it will add value for all stakeholders, and (4) whether it provides the criteria for making effective and efficient decisions and for evaluating progress toward one's selected destinations. This article offers a guide for making sure that the organization is creating real value and that is in an environment that allows innovation.
“…All this social capital, along with thousands of hard‐working families and social networks, was locked in a poverty trap under the slum conditions that prevailed in Villa 31. Bernardez & Kaufman () define social capital as The conditions that social and economic ecosystems—from a family to a partnership, company, town or country—provide their members for creating wealth and well‐being by combining their relational, organizational and institutional assets and resources. (p. 45)…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“… Antisocial capital : A long tradition of studies on antisocial behavior, from Gustave Le Bon (Le Bon, , 2002) and Emile Durkheim (Durkheim, ) in the 19th century to Kelling and Coles in 20th century Chicago (Kellig & Coles, ), illustrate how a lack of both dimensions of social capital, institutional and relational, can deteriorate into social disintegration, anomy and a rise in dysfunctional and self‐destructive behavior escalating from minor damage to common property and minor violations into rising crime, higher suicide rates and social unrest (Bernardez & Kaufman, ().…”
For almost 80 years, Villa 31, a slum in the heart of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has been a constant reminder of the failure of both government and society. This article, the second of a series on an ongoing experience, discusses some of the bold new approaches for transformation of Villa 31 as part of the basis for a new way to think about urban and social integration in big cities.
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