CN 11-5366/S     ISSN 1673-1530
“风景园林,不只是一本期刊。”

社区绿色空间促生社会资本的路径与启示

Inspiring Social Capital Through Community Green Space: Pathways and Implications

  • 摘要:
    目的 社会资本理论在社区绿色空间营建中愈发引起重视,国际上对两者相关性的研究已经比较广泛,但“绿色空间是否可以促生社会资本”“通过哪些途径促生社会资本”2个议题尚不清晰。
    方法 围绕社区绿色空间与社会资本相关性,采用CitieSpace可视化图谱分析和文献分析方法,总结2000年以来的研究趋势、研究方法、研究共识与主要争议。
    结果 分析发现,学者们普遍认同社区绿色空间可以促生社会资本,但对社会资本影响的积极性和边界存在争议。
    结论 1)凝练出社区绿色空间促生社会资本的3条路径,即丰富同质和异质人群的社会网络、增强居民对空间和邻里的社会信任、建立共建共治共享的社会规范。2)指出国际经验对国内实践有3个启示,即聚集内外社会资本、以小微更新培育邻里信任、鼓励居民参与运维管理。3)提出在未来研究中,应进一步讨论绿色空间促生社会资本的机制,关注不同人群对绿色空间需求的差异性,并探索基于绿色空间干预的社区治理策略。

     

    Abstract:
    Objective The evolution of urban community governance in China has progressed through three distinct historical phases: The danwei (work unit) system under planned economy, the neighborhood committee system during market reform, and the current community-based governance model. These institutional transformations have fundamentally reshaped social relationship patterns, eroding traditional kinship-based connections and resulting in fragmented community networks and a continuous decline in residents’ sense of belonging. In recent years, urban renewal strategies have shifted from singular focus on physical space renovation to integrated approaches that actively cultivate social capital — collective assets embedded in social networks, mutual trust, and shared behavioral norms. Across Chinese cities, green space development initiatives (particularly community gardens and urban agriculture programs) are increasingly positioned as dual-purpose interventions that bridge physical environment improvement with social relationship reconstruction, often serving as neutral grounds for conflict resolution and collective identity formation. While these projects demonstrate potential in enhancing community cohesion and resident well-being, persistent challenges exist regarding sustainable operation funding models , quantifiable social outcomes, and equitable access across socioeconomic groups. Under China’s precision governance paradigm emphasizing data-driven policymaking, this research systematically investigates the operational mechanisms through which community green spaces inspire social capital, incorporating both grassroots practices and institutional innovations, based on which evidence-based optimization strategies for urban renewal practices are proposed.
    Methods This research combines visual mapping analysis using CitieSpace software with a blend of inductive and deductive review methods. The process involves three main stages. The first stage uses CitieSpace to analyze global research patterns by studying which countries produce the most studies and tracking changes in key research topics over time. The second stage carefully examines existing studies to identify common research methods, areas of agreement among scholars, and ongoing debates in the field. The third stage creates a focused collection of studies that specifically explore how green spaces create social benefits, looking particularly at three aspects: how people connect socially, how trust develops between community members, and how shared community rules form. For the data collection phase, English-language articles published between January 2000 and October 2023 were gathered from the Web of Science database using search terms related to social connections and green spaces. The search strategy is TS = (“social capital*” OR “social network”) AND (“green space*” OR “garden” OR “park”). We selected 63 articles that clearly linked green spaces to community social benefits after removing duplicate entries and unrelated studies. After a thorough evaluation, we selected 32 articles specifically explaining how green spaces foster social connections for final analysis.
    Results Geographical distribution analysis reveals concentrated research output from Western countries: The United States contributing 22 studies (34.9%), followed by Canada (8), Australia (5), and the United Kingdom (4), collectively representing 72% of total publications. Temporal keyword evolution identifies three developmental stages: The early phase (2000 – 2010) emphasized macro-level urban green infrastructure planning and public health outcomes; the middle phase (2010 – 2018) shifted focus to micro-level community gardens as mental health interventions and food security solutions; the current phase (post-2018) explores multifunctional green spaces as social capital incubators within precision governance frameworks. Researchers generally agree on four main findings. First, green spaces act as important gathering places that encourage social interaction. Second, the interaction of social networks, trust, and norms is facilitated by social interactions in green spaces. Third, higher quality green spaces tend to support stronger community relationships. Fourth, how people perceive and experience these spaces matters more than their physical characteristics alone. However, debates continue about whether the social benefits created in green spaces spread to other parts of the community and whether they reach all community groups equally.
    Conclusion The study identifies three primary ways community green spaces help build social connections. The first involves creating different types of social networks—strengthening bonds among similar groups, building bridges between different groups, and connecting people across social levels. The second focuses on developing trust through safer spaces and neighborly cooperation. The third centers on turning shared experiences in green spaces into formal community guidelines that guide how spaces are planned, used, and maintained. Building on these findings and considering current practices in Chinese community projects, three key recommendations emerge. The first suggests combining local community resources with outside support to create networks of shared interest. The second proposes starting with small-scale green space projects to build trust and maintain community engagement over time. The third emphasizes involving residents directly in managing green spaces to turn collective experiences into established community practices. These strategies aim to help communities better integrate social connection-building into green space development efforts while addressing ongoing challenges in project sustainability and effectiveness. Three prospective research directions are proposed based on the deficiencies and trends in international research: enhancing the mechanisms through which green spaces cultivate social capital, identifying critical factors that affect social capital to guide the augmentation of the social impact of community green spaces; examining the disparities in green space requirements among various demographics; and investigating community governance strategies informed by green space interventions. Owing to regional disparities, pertinent research must be integrated with the current circumstances of community revitalization and governance in China, tackling genuine challenges and prospective development objectives.

     

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