A "pedestrian paradise" makes for better neighbors

Although paradise might be too big a word here: The research paper Examining Walkability and Social Capital as Indicators of Quality of Life at the Municipal and Neighborhood Scales , which was published in the current edition of Applied Research in Quality of Life actually talks about walkable neighborhoods, where amenities like playgrounds, restaurants, grocery stores, or post offices can easily be reached on foot. People living in such neighborhoods are, on average, not only healthier (thanks to the exercise of walking) and more connected (because they have more encounters with neighbors and friends in the street, for example), but they also possess more social capital, which was defined by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu in Ökonomisches Kapital, kulturelles Kapital, soziales Kapital as the

aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition – or in other words, to membership in a group – which provides each of its members with the backing of the collectivity-owned capital, a ‘credential’ which entitles them to credit, in the various senses of the word.

Social capital comprises aspects of social interaction, like trust among neighbors (they know each other), or participation in local politics (regarding the funding for playgrounds, for example, or schools, or parks). According to lead author Shannon Rogers, Ph.D. student at the University of New Hampshire, being better connected might even lead to better health and more economic opportunities.

The research paper is based on 700 interviews in 20 neighborhoods in Portsmouth and Manchester (NH). Participants had to identify, how many of a total of 13 locations in their neighborhood they could reach by walking. Neighborhoods with at least seven locations in walking distance were categorized as "walkable". Social capital was determined by using a scale that was developed by Harvard professor Robert Putnam for his Saguaro Seminar.

But one must not forget that the paper establishes only a correlation between walkability and social capital; it would be false to read anything more into this, since it can be said with some plausibility that walkable neighbors might be self-selecting by, let's just say, attracting groups and people who prefer a lifestyle less dependent on cars, for example, and enjoy being politically active. Or people who prefer knowing their neighbors, who prefer living in a place where they can meet people in the streets, in parks, at neighborhood events etc. But as a Geographer, I find satisfaction the fact that social and spatial behavior can inform each other. And it shows that walkable neighborhoods might not be a bad thing after all - contrary to what many urban "designers" seem to believe ...

Original Post: Im Fußgängerparadies leben bessere Nachbarn