Sense of Community and Its Association With the Neighborhood Built Environment

TLDR

The influence of built environment on sense of community remains unclear and warrants investigation. We investigated the influence of neighborhood built form on sense of community in Perth, Western Australia, hypothesizing stronger sense of community in pedestrian‑friendly neighborhoods. Multivariate linear regression models examined associations between walking and sense of community, progressively adjusting 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, indicating that local area perceptions are more important than objective environment characteristics.

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.