Abstract:
A valuable asset in sustainable regeneration is the ‘community’ in an area with their developed
networks, bonds and ties or in other words its social capital. Braunstone in Leicester is typical of
many disadvantaged areas in the UK, with persistent socio-economic problems exacerbated by a
poor physical setting. With a large regeneration programme funded by the New Deal for
Communities coming to a close, we conducted a case study to explore the impact of improved local
facilities and the effect of walkability on social capital.
The lessons learnt suggest that responding to needs at a finer grain is vital in developing
neighbourhoods for social capital. Such fine grain responses should include the needs of different
user groups, local patterns of use and measures to improve the branded and stigmatised perceptions
of neighbourhoods. Accessing services by walking and using public transport is vital to engage in
social activities, while a poor physical environment and a lack of accessible services affects levels
of participation. Local facilities provide a mediating role in developing social capital in a
community by providing opportunity for social interaction that encourages people to reside in an
area in the longer term. Integration of the neighbourhood in its wider context with easy connections
to the outside world is a vital incentive for longer-term residency if social capital is to grow over a
period of time.
Citation:
Paranagamage, P., Price, A., Khandokar, F., & Austin, S. (2014). Urban design and social capital: lessons from a case study in Braunstone, Leicester, United Kingdom. In Y.G. Sandanayake, N.G. Fernando & G.I. Karunasena (Eds.), Sustainability and development in built environment: the way forward (pp. 575-585). Ceylon Institute of Builders. https://ciobwcs.com/downloads/WCS2014-Proceedings.pdf