The built environment shapes neighborhood residents' sense of community, but perception is a tricky question

Sarah French and Lisa Wood and Sarah Alexandra Foster and Billie Giles-Corti and Lawrence Frank and Vincent Learnihan, "Sense of Community and Its Association With the Neighborhood Built Environment," Environment and Behavior 46 (2012): 6

The take-away: Regarding the city of Perth, this study investigates the relationship between the built environment and sense of community in neighborhoods. While sense of community was associated with certain built characteristics, the findings suggest that residents’ perceptions of the objective environment are even more crucial determinants for sense of community than the objective environment itself.

Abstract

We investigated the influence of neighborhood built form on sense of community in Perth, Western Australia. It was hypothesized that sense of community would be stronger in individuals living in pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. Multivariate linear regression models explored associations between walking and sense of community, with progressive adjustment for objective and perceived neighborhood characteristics. Sense of community was positively associated with walking for transport and positive perceptions of neighborhood quality, and negatively associated with residential density. The findings highlight the influence of local area perceptions on sense of community that appeared to be more important than objective environment characteristics. However, the latter may influence perceptions, and this requires investigation.

Full article (requires access)