Can proximity forge strong bonds? Exploring the relationship between urban proximity and social cohesion at the neighbourhood level
Mombelli, Serena (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Geografia)
Miralles-Guasch, Carme 1961- (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Geografia)
Marquet Sardà, Oriol (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Data:	2025
Resum:	Urban proximity has recently regained prominence in urban and transport planning. While the environmental and health benefits of increased proximity are well documented, its social implications, particularly in relation to social cohesion, remain under-researched. This is important because social cohesion is often associated with increased community resilience and societal stability. While previous research has examined how features of the built environment affect social cohesion, few studies have isolated the impact of proximity to daily destinations. We address this gap by integrating objective and subjective measures of proximity to daily destinations and assessing their impact on neighbourhood social cohesion. Using survey data on social cohesion and perceived proximity, together with georeferenced data on destination distances in five Spanish cities, we apply an SEM approach to analyse the relationship. The results indicate a negative relationship between distance to destinations and social cohesion, mediated by perceptions of proximity. This means that the impact of distances to destinations over social cohesion is stronger when destinations are perceived to be closer or further than they actually are. Urban planners and policymakers should consider objective and subjective measures of proximity and focus on equitable access to essential services to promote community cohesion.
Ajuts:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PDC2021-120820-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PDC2022-133212-I00 "la Caixa" Foundation SR22-00147 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PREP2022-000946 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación RYC2020-029441-I
Nota:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Nota:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	15-minute cities ; People and environment ; Social cohesion ; Structural equation modelling ; Sustainable and resilient cities ; Urban design ; Urban proximity ; Urban structure ; SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy ; SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
Publicat a:	Sustainable Cities and Society, Vol. 119 (February 2025) , art. 106096, ISSN 2210-6715

DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2024.106096

12 p, 2.1 MB

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