Social Capital in Gellerup

Abstract

In many countries all over the world, there is a growing interest in improving marginalized large-scale housing communities from the 1960s and 1970s. This trend has lately reached Denmark and has resulted in the most expensive community renewal plan in Danish history. As many others of these renewal plans, the Danish version applies a political strategy of developing and adding social capital. This paper is examining the characteristics of two types of social capital; bridging and bonding social capital formed by the residents in- and outside a marginalized local community in relation to five demographic features of age, gender, geographical origin and years of residence in the community and in Denmark. The data were collected through a quantitative survey, conducted in the largest marginalized high-rise community in Denmark, Gellerup, which is about to undergo an extensive community renewal plan. The study showed that residents in Gellerup had access to bonding and bridging social capital inside and outside Gellerup. Nevertheless, there were significant differences in the character of the social capital depending on age, geographical origin and years lived in Gellerup. Young residents and people who have lived for many years in Gellerup have more social capital than their counterparts. Furthermore, residents from Arab countries have more bonding relations within Gellerup, while residents from Northern Europe have more bonding relations outside Gellerup.