Rodenburg, Gijs (2024) The decline of social interactions: The correlation between the built environment and social interactions. Master thesis.
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Abstract
In the past decades, the number of social interactions between neighbours has gone down. Due to housing shortages and climate adaptation, the urban environment has and will change, creating new urban spaces. Several studies have been done on the correlations between the built environment and social cohesion. However, these studies are not focused on unplanned social interactions on the street. Therefore, this study aims to create a better understanding of the correlations between the built environment and unplanned social interactions on the street, focusing on the quantity and meaningfulness of social interactions. This is done by answering the following research question: What is the correlation between the built environment and unplanned social interactions of adults on the street on a neighbourhood level in Groningen? This study starts with a literature review regarding land use and urban design in relation to social interactions. Furthermore, correlations between socio-demographic variables and perceived safety in relation to social interactions are reviewed. This study used quantitative online surveys (n = 221) distributed in 6 different neighbourhoods in Groningen. The questionnaire asked questions regarding the perceived built environment; one open question was asked about improvements in the built environment to stimulate more social interactions. The data was analysed through a correlation and content analysis. The results from the data analysis show that the most important variables to stimulate more social interactions are the presence/usage of greenery, usage of street furniture, lower-density neighbourhoods, access to sports and recreational facilities, the enjoyment of walking and most importantly, the perceived safety. Furthermore, respondents most frequently mentioned that they want more street furniture in their neighbourhood to stimulate more social interactions. It is advised to create lower-density neighbourhoods with a high presence of green combined with qualitative street furniture and sports and recreational facilities. Most importantly, is to create safe neighbourhoods. However, this study did not research how to create safe neighbourhoods.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Degree programme: | Society, Sustainability and Planning (MSc Socio-spatial Planning) |
| Supervisor: | Ramezani, S. |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jul 2024 13:40 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Jul 2024 13:40 |
| URI: | https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4615 |
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