%T Community Centers and the Future of Social Cohesion
%X Community centres and social cohesion are frequently used interchangeably, particularly in Dutch spatial policies. As a result, for governments, this ostensible social effect is one of the justifications for encouraging participation in community centres. However, it appears that there is a research gap between the specific characteristics of community centres and their potential contribution to social cohesion. This study seeks to answer the question of how community centers in Groningen and Berlin contribute to neighborhood social cohesion. Is the organizations' current approach working, or are there better ways to connect neighborhood residents to one another? In this case study, interviews were conducted in Groningen as well as in two Berlin neighborhoods, Neukölln and Mitte because of the income differences compared to adjacent neighborhoods, or districts in the case of Berlin. Based on these interviews, the relationship between social cohesion and the role of the community centers in this will be discussed. In addition, a small survey was conducted in the Berlin neighborhoods. When comparing the community centers to the framework developed based on the article by Kearns and Forrest (2000), improvements are required. The findings demonstrate how the three community centers differ and how some outperform others in very different aspects of the theoretical framework. The community center in Mitte, for example, collaborates with the fugitive center and other social institutions in the neighborhood, whereas there is no fixed community center in the neighborhood
in Neukölln to begin with. Furthermore, social institutions are not eager to collaborate with one another, which may have a negative impact on social cohesion within the neighborhood.
%A Merel Flap
%L theses_frw3863
%D 2022