Social Places and Spaces
Mechanisms: Design Standards, Community Plans, Placemaking, Community Hubs
Our physical environment is part of our social environment; buildings and spaces impact how people function and interact. For example, public spaces can be designed and built to encourage casual, daily interactions between people and/or invoke a sense of belonging and pride in a community.
There is evidence that infrastructure changes can improve social cohesion and build bridging and bonding social capital: i, ii
Celebrating or emphasizing distinct cultures or social groups can make spaces welcoming or culturally resonant. These spaces can encourage community-members to use space for leisure and socializing – increasing bonding social capital.
Designing parks or recreation centers, libraries, schools, retail spaces, cafes, and active streets to encourage friendly contact across social and cultural divides, promoting the building of bridging social capital.
Case Example: The Chicago Heatwave
During the 1995 Chicago heatwave, People living in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood fared much better than those in the adjacent and demographically similar (low-income and largely Black) Englewood neighborhood which suffered three times more heat wave-related deaths. ii
Analysis showed that people in Auburn Gresham were more likely to check in on one another. Their high social cohesion was facilitated through an urban landscape of shops, public spaces, and community organizations.
The role of social cohesion in climate disasters is profiled in Heat Wave, by Eric Klinenberg. Click here to read an interview with the author.
There is some evidence, however, that that place and space interventions can have potentially negative effects in terms of some residents feeling excluded. Cultural groups may choose not to engage in certain activities or visit certain public places because they do not feel welcome due to the experience of discrimination or the expectation that discrimination will occur. Park surveys have shown that some people of color have experienced overt hostility by both other users and management staff, ranging from racist utterances to violent actions. i
While the physical aspects of green and open space design are critical to a place’s success; they should always be viewed alongside the creation of a welcoming social or cultural space. Inclusive processes are critical to creating a successful space where a community’s identity is affirmed and where people feel comfortable using the space (Learn more about Inclusive Processes).
Mechanisms
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