A Geographic Information System (GIS)-Based Analysis of Social Capital Data: Landscape Factors That Correlate with Trust

Sohrab Rahimi, Michael J. R. Martin, Eric Obeysekere, Daniel Hellmann, Xi Liu and Clio Andris
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Sohrab Rahimi: Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Michael J. R. Martin: Department of Sociology and Criminology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Eric Obeysekere: College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Daniel Hellmann: College of Information Sciences and Technology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Xi Liu: Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Clio Andris: Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: The field of community sociology has yielded rich insights on how neighborhoods and individuals foster social capital and reap the benefits of interpersonal relationships and institutions alike. Traditionally, institutions and cultural factors have been lauded as catalysts of community social life and cohesion. Yet, the built environment and configuration of the landscape, including infrastructure, amenities and population density, may also contribute to community social capital. In this article, we embedded zip code-level responses from Harvard University’s Saguaro Seminar’s 2006 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey with a geographic information system. Specifically, we correlated responses on residents’ general trust, trust of one’s neighbors, and trust of members of other racial groups with local urban environmental factors and infrastructural indicators such as housing and street conditions, land use, city form, amenity access (e.g., libraries and schools), home vacancy rates, and home value. We conducted these tests at the national level and for Rochester, NY, due to its many survey responses. We found that housing vacancies drive down levels of social trust, as captured by homeownership rates and tenure, yielding higher levels of social trust, and that certain urban facilities correlate with high trust among neighbors. Results can inform urban planners on the amenities that support sustainable community ties.

Keywords: social capital; urban planning; trust; community sociology; geographic information systems; community goods; built environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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