Social Capital and the Built Environment
New Urbanism and Selection Bias in the Formation of Social Capital
Over the past several decades, there has been a decline in social capital in American communities. New urbanism has been proposed as a tool to reverse some of this decline. This study seeks to understand the potential benefits of new urbanism in terms of social capital. Differences in social capital between a new urbanist subdivision (NUS) and a standard suburban subdivision (SSS) are compared. The findings of this study suggest that residents of NUSs have more social capital than residents of SSSs. However, many of the differences between the two communities disappeared when a social bias control was added to the model.
Cabrera (2013). "New urbanism and selection bias in the formation of social capital." Housing Policy Debate, 23 (2): 376-394.
How the Built Environment Shapes Spatial Bridging Ties and Social Capital
The study examined spatial bridging ties that develop between members of a subdivision, and the relationship of such ties to different aspects of the built environment. We suggest that spatial bridging ties are important to the development of social capital within a community, as they help to overcome a tendency for ties to be spatially proximate (the propinquity effect). Using ego-based network data, we examined the formation of spatial bridging ties within a new urbanist subdivision (NUS) and also identified specific design features of the NUS that were associated with such ties. We found an association between spatial bridging ties and the use of mixed-use amenities, suggesting that mixed-use amenities (e.g., local shops and restaurants) may be facilitating spatial bridging ties between residents in NUS communities. The results also provide some evidence of a positive relationship between spatial bridging ties and social capital.
Cabrera & Najarian (2015). "How the built environment shaped bridging ties and community social capital." Environment and Behavior, 47 (3): 239-267.
Integrating “Standard” Residents into “Non- Standard” Communities: A Longitudinal Analysis of Social Capital in a New Urbanist Development
This article examines how levels of social capital in a new urbanist community change over time. We collected demographic and social capital data in a new urbanist community in 2001 and then again in 2010. The findings indicate that this community experienced an overall decline in social capital over this nine-year period. Additionally, we found that while residents new to the community were less concerned with social capital than long-term residents in the community, the latter group had also declined significantly in their levels of social capital. Overall, the results suggest that planners of new urbanist and other intentional communities should consider the impact of changing demographics when designing new subdivisions. Most importantly, residents and community leaders need to consider alternative means by which social capital can be retained as new residents are integrated into established communities.
Cabrera et al. (2017). "Integrating 'standard' residents into 'non-standard' communities-A longitudinal analysis of social capital in a new urbanist development." Journal of Urbanism, 10(1): 63-76.