The neighbourhood roots of social cohesion: Notes on an exceptional case of Singapore

Abstract

At a time where neighbourhood ties seem to be declining, society’s expectations remain high that such local relations can be mobilized to manage a range of social issues. From a policy perspective, can the neighbourhood do more? Analyzing five waves of pooled cross-sectional data from Singapore between 2001 and 2009, we observe significant variations in neighbouring activity across residential contexts (e.g. public vs. private) as well as across time. By using the exceptional case of Singapore (small country, strong administrative capacity and high levels of public housing ownership), our study highlights the importance of public housing allocation and provision policies in fostering higher rates of neighbouring and neighbourly sentiments (compared to private housing estates); the positive connection between neighbourhood sentiment and national sentiment; and the sustainability of such effects over time.

The contribution of intergroup neighbouring to community participation: Evidence from Shanghai

“…Much of the revived interest in neighbouring can be attributed to its supposed ability to facilitate community participation (Cheshire, 2015;Corcoran et al, 2017;Crisp, 2013;Ho & Chua, 2017;Kearns & Parkinson, 2001). Yet despite the enthusiasm for neighbouring, few studies have actually examined the relationship between neighbouring and community participation.…”

Does spatial proximity supplant family ties? Exploring the role of neighborly support for older people in diverse, aging cities

“…In general, the value of neighborhoods for encounters, support, and social cohesion within cities has experienced a revival in recent years as a research subject. Severalstudies have scrutinized the aspects of integration, social cohesion, local social networks, and the impact of local living conditions on physical and mental health (Jensen, 2016;Kingsbury et al, 2019;Lancee & Dronkers, 2011;Strobl et al, 2016). The spatial proximity between neighbors, which makes it easy to meet one another has, in particular, regained attention as a unique characteristic of social networks in the neighborhood (Nocon & Pearson, 2000).…”

“…In studies on neighborhood relations, older people are often mentioned as, on the one hand, reliable inhabitants who have lived in the neighborhood for a long time and spend most of their time there (e.g., Cramm et al, 2013;Forrest & Kearns, 2001) and, on the other hand, recipients of neighborhood support (e.g., Fromm & Rosenkranz, 2019;Jensen, 2016). Studies on older people's relationships with their neighbors address, for example, the helping arrangements and motivations for neighborhood support (Nocon & Pearson, 2000), the role of social capital in establishing neighborhood relations (Lager et al, 2015), the possibility of preventing loneliness and isolation through neighborhood contacts (Cramm et al, 2013;Stanley et al, 2010;Wenger et al, 1996;Zimmerli, 2016), the reliability of non-kin carers (Gillespie & Treas, 2019;Nocon & Pearson, 2000) and the experience of changing neighborhood relations caused by the influx of younger inhabitants (Stjernborg, 2017;Ziegler, 2012).…”

“…Neighborhoods have long garnered attention as local spaces for social cohesion in cities (Ho & Chua, 2018;Schiefer & van der Noll, 2017). Various studies stress the benefits of neighborhoods as sites of social connection across different cultural groups (Hudson et al, 2009;Jensen, 2016;Lancee & Dronkers, 2011), spaces of support in everyday life (Fromm & Rosenkranz, 2019), and places of social cohesion through place-based identity formation (Buffel, 2017;Forrest & Kearns, 2001). Further, the research points to positive effects on health when neighborhoods are socially connected (Kingsbury et al, 2019).…”

Urban green spaces for the social interaction, health and well-being of older people— An integrated view of urban ecosystem services and socio-environmental justice

“…Neighborhoods have long garnered attention as local spaces for social cohesion in cities (Ho & Chua, 2018;Schiefer & van der Noll, 2017). Various studies stress the benefits of neighborhoods as sites of social connection across different cultural groups (Hudson, Phillips, & Ray, 2009;Jensen, 2016;Lancee & Dronkers, 2011), spaces of support in everyday life (Fromm & Rosenkranz, 2019), and places of social cohesion through place-based identity formation (Buffel, 2017;Forrest & Kearns, 2001).…”