Evidence of the socio-political implications of urban design

Various forms of political participation in the United States and European countries have been steadily declining. Combining theories and empirical findings from political science with critical assessments of modern community planning, we propose that certain built environment features of neighborhoods serve to strengthen or weaken engagement in civic and political behavior. Of particular interest is the homogeneous, single-use, auto-dependent communities, long a familiar style in U.S, suburbs and increasingly infiltrating European cities. In this pilot phase, two structurally distinct Midwestern U.S. neighborhoods were studied in terms of the built environment features and the residents' neighborhood activities, perceptions of their neighborhood, and evaluations of their city. Upon its completion, the research project will link together the impact of the built environment on the creation of social interactions, civic engagement and political participation.