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作者

来源

JOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS,Vol.40,Issue3,P.349-369

语言

英文

关键字

URBAN PARKS; BUILT ENVIRONMENT; PUBLIC SPACE; FIT INDEXES; COMMUNITY; LEISURE; HEALTH; PERCEPTIONS; MODELS; ADULTS

作者单位

[Gomez, Edwin] Old Dominion Univ, Norfolk, VA 23529 USA. [Baur, Joshua W. R.] San Jose State Univ, Dept Hlth Sci & Recreat, San Jose, CA 95192 USA. [Malega, Ron] Missouri State Univ, Dept Geog Geol & Planning, Springfield, MO USA. Gomez, E (reprint author), East Carolina Univ, Dept Recreat & Leisure Studies, 1404 Carol G Belk Bldg,Mail Stop 540, Greenville, NC 27858 USA. E-Mail: gomeze17@ecu.edu

摘要

Dog parks have the potential to be sites that engender community benefits. The purpose of this study is to examine whether dog parks, as places providing social interaction opportunities with other dog owners, can engender perceived social cohesion. Dog parks represent small-scale places where social interaction can occur to improve the personal connections and interpersonal interactions that facilitate neighborhood livability and urban quality of life. The theoretical frameworks of bridging and bonding social capital were explored, in terms of weak/bridging and strong/bonding social ties, as aspects affecting perceived neighborhood social cohesion. We hypothesized that both bridging/weak ties and bonding/strong ties were precursors to neighborhood social cohesion but explored the extent to which weak and strong social ties impact social cohesion in a simultaneous or stepwise manner. Our findings indicate support for the latter.