Pedestrian-oriented and mixed-use neighbourhoods enable residents to interact with each other while walking and therefore enhance the frequency of contact. It is widely accepted that people living in walkable neighbourhoods are more likely to have a higher level of social capital and tend to live longer and healthier lives than those living in car-dependent neighbourhoods. However, there is an ongoing debate surrounding the underlying principles of walkable neighbourhoods that encourage and support walking by diverse user-groups. This article attempts to collate the evidence and investigate the association between walkable neighbourhoods and social capital. The findings suggest that the social and physical contexts of the walkable neighbourhood enhance casual interactions and social participations and are likely to contribute to the formation of social capital over a period of time.
This paper attempts to widen our understanding of the relationship between social capital and the physical environment through an exploration of the intersection of theory, urban design practitioner guidance and empirical research on social capital that considers the\ud
built environment as a variable. Theory suggests that social capital in a neighbourhood\ud
can grow over time, and that stability of residency and opportunity for social interaction can help to establish the bonds, bridges and networks that build trust and participation.\ud
The content analysis of a selection of literature on urban design guidance revealed\ud
12 recurrent attributes that help people to live, work and relax and thus encourage formal or informal interaction and longer-term residency in the area in which they live, and\ud
hence the growth of social capital. As urban design guidance does not use such a term, these attributes were substantiated through reference to empirical research and social capital theory. This exercise gives a better understanding of then specificities of environmental variables, aiding our conceptualization of social capital. If we aspire to\ud
assessment tools that incorporate knowledge of predictable relationships between the variables concerned, then it becomes clear there is a long way to go in developing our understanding of the interplay of urban development and social capital
Introducing the SUE-MoT (metrics, models and toolkits for whole-life sustainable urban development) series, this paper highlights some of the barriers that need to be addressed if the vision for holistic assessment is to be realised. The complexities of sustainability assessment raised in this paper will be further discussed in detail in the SUE-MoT series of papers that will be published in forthcoming issues of this journal. This paper highlights the priorities to address when assessment tools are presented to decision makers of urban development projects. This discussion is limited to the issues, values and solutions in the UK context.
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