French, S. et al.
APA
French, S., Wood, L., Foster, S. A., Giles-Corti, B., Frank, L., & Learnihan, V. (2014). Sense of community and its association with the neighborhood built environment. Environment and Behavior, 46(6), 677-697.
Keywords
Neighborhood Design
,
Sense Of Community
,
Walkability
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.
Main finding
Sense of community was positively associated with walking for transport and positive perceptions of neighborhood quality, and negatively associated with residential density.
Description of method used in the article
1655 participants completed a selfreport questionnaire and geographic information systems (GIS) were used to generate individual-level objective measurement of each participant’s neighborhood.
Verdict
Of practical use