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Comparative Study
. 2003 Sep;93(9):1546-51.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.93.9.1546.

Social capital and the built environment: the importance of walkable neighborhoods

Kevin M Leyden  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Social capital and the built environment: the importance of walkable neighborhoods

Kevin M Leyden. Am J Public Health. 2003 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: I sought to examine whether pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use neighborhoods encourage enhanced levels of social and community engagement (i.e., social capital).

Methods: The study investigated the relationship between neighborhood design and individual levels of social capital. Data were obtained from a household survey that measured the social capital of citizens living in neighborhoods that ranged from traditional, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented designs to modern, car-dependent suburban subdivisions in Galway, Ireland.

Results: The analyses indicate that persons living in walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods have higher levels of social capital compared with those living in car-oriented suburbs. Respondents living in walkable neighborhoods were more likely to know their neighbors, participate politically, trust others, and be socially engaged.

Conclusions: Walkable, mixed-use neighborhood designs can encourage the development of social capital.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Survey questions used to create the “neighborhood walkability” measure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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