Rethinking Neighbourhood Cohesion in the Suburbs: Insights from Communities in Calgary

Abstract

Neighbourhood cohesion is a desirable outcome of socially sustainable communities. However, such an outcome is not necessarily associated with suburban master-planned communities. This empirical research measures affective and interactive dimensions of neighbourhood cohesion and their correlations with residents’ perception of neighbourhood uniqueness. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, it considers the physical and social attributes of two suburban neighbourhoods in Calgary to provide an in-depth interpretation of similarities and differences in neighbourhood cohesion. The findings address an important aspect of community planning associated with the attractiveness of semi-gated suburban living in low-density developments embedded in the natural environment.

Keywords

• neighbourhood cohesion
• semi-gated suburb
• sense of community
• community planning
• uniqueness