Neighborhood Environment, Social Capital, and Social Sustainability of Community : Explanatory Study on Causal Relationships

Abstract

Social sustainability is one of the most important policy goals in urban regeneration movement in Korea. In pursuing for the social sustainability of community, neighborhood environment may play a key role because it can improve the quality of life by itself. In addition, it can make more sustainable society by enhancing social capital formed by social interaction among people in communities. This study explores a causal relationship among neighborhood environment, social interaction, social capital and social sustainability of community using the ?2014 Incheon Survey? data which included 9,406 respondents. We utilized structural equation modeling(SEM) to analyze the causal relationship. The analysis showed that there is a significant positive causal relationship among the quality of neighborhood environment, social interaction, social capital and social sustainability. In particular, this study found that social interaction influenced by the quality of neighborhood environment has significant influence on social capital and social sustainability. This study suggests that neighborhood physical and social environments are crucial factors to improve social capital and social sustainability in communities.