Karien Dekker

Social Cohesion in Post-war Estates in the Netherlands: Differences between Socioeconomic and Ethnic Groups:

In the Netherlands, the post-war housing estates are increasingly experiencing problems. Some of these relate to the concentration of households with a low socioeconomic status on these estates. The Big Cities Policy aims to improve liveability in deprived urban areas by increasing the number of high-income households and thereby decreasing the share of problem-causing households in the neighbourhood. The increased differentiation in education, ethnicity, income, home-ownership structure and lifestyle presents a challenge to social cohesion. This paper demonstrates how differences between socioeconomic and ethnic groups relate to different dimensions of social cohesion: social networks, common values and place attachment and identity. The issue is interesting since social cohesion can help enhance liveability and increase the tolerance between groups that is so often lacking in multiethnic neighbourhoods with residents from many different socioeconomic backgrounds. The paper is based on a fieldwork study undertaken on two estates in the cities of Utrecht and The Hague in the Netherlands. As expected, quantitative analyses show clear differences between native Dutch people and members of other ethnic groups. Contrary to expectations, socioeconomic characteristics do not lead on all dimensions of social cohesion to differences in the degree of social cohesion. The conclusion drawn is that increasing the diversity of socioeconomic or ethnic groups in deprived urban areas is likely to lead to less social cohesion.

Residential satisfaction in housing estates in European cities: a multi-level research approach

This paper mainly focuses on the determinants of housing and estate satisfaction in post-Second World War housing estates. Multi-level linear regression models were applied to estimate the impacts of individual, dwelling and estate characteristics on resident satisfaction levels, using a unique dataset from 25 post-Second World War estates in nine European countries. It is concluded that satisfaction with the dwelling is higher for the elderly and residents with higher incomes, and in situations where the dwelling has been renovated and is sufficiently large. The presence of children and a longer duration of stay have negative impacts, and renters are generally more negative than owners. Estate satisfaction is highest among immigrant households or when the dwelling is renovated, and among lower educated inhabitants. Individual characteristics and opinions on the estate are more important than estate characteristics in explaining estate satisfaction. The overall conclusion is that attempts to improve post-Second World War areas may result in new areas, but does not necessarily improve the overall satisfaction.

Social trust in urban neighbourhoods: The effect of relative ethnic group position

Social trust is essential to a cohesive society. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of individual and contextual determinants in explaining social trust. In this paper it is argued, by means of Blumer’s group position theory, that an individual’s position in the ethnic hierarchy relative to that of the neighbourhood residents influences his or her social trust in the neighbourhood. The multilevel regression analysis of data from the Amsterdam Safety Monitor 2009 provides tentative support for this theory. Building upon previous studies, the relevant individual and contextual determinants of social trust in the neighbourhood are also studied. Contrary to earlier findings, no neighbourhood effects are detected. Thus, it is neither the actual position in the ethnic hierarchy nor the effect of the neighbourhood, but the ethnic position relative to the neighbourhood residents that diminishes minority group members’ social trust through a threat that appears to be both socioeconomic and cultural.

Civic Organizations as Political Actors Mapping and Predicting the Involvement of Civic Organizations in Neighborhood Problem-Solving and Coproduction

Despite the scholarly consensus on the importance of civic organizations for the livability of neighborhoods, there are relatively few empirical studies examining to what extent these organizations engage in various forms of political participation to contribute to the quality of the neighborhood. The authors argue that to get a better overview of neighborhood-oriented forms of participation, it is necessary to look beyond those organizations with an explicit focus on the neighborhood and to include newer forms of participation such as coproduction, government-initiated plans that seek to address neighborhood issues through extensive cooperation with organizations. The authors argue that three groups of factors determine organizational participation: resources, engagement, and network position. An empirical analysis of survey data collected in 2007 from 400 organizations in eight neighborhoods in two Dutch cities shows that the impact of resources is virtually absent, whereas concern about the neighborhood and relations to pivotal organizations are positively related to participation.

PLACES AND PARTICIPATION: COMPARING RESIDENT PARTICIPATION IN POST‐WWII NEIGHBORHOODS IN NORTHWEST, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN EUROPE

ABSTRACT: The participation of residents in improving their neighborhood, and especially variations in participation between places, has been the topic of research in various articles published in the last few years. What is still missing in these studies is an international comparative perspective, since national differences might be expected to account for at least part of the variation in participation. This article, therefore, includes an analysis of national differences. We assess how much relevance these national differences have in comparison with the influence of individual and neighborhood characteristics. Using multivariate modeling procedures, we address the following questions: To what extent can differences in participation be ascribed to neighborhood level variations (share of unemployed, share of ethnic minorities, share of owner-occupied housing, average experience of problems, share of residents active in a social organization)? And to what extent do national context variables (democratic history, empowerment policy) account for these differences? The findings suggest that both neighborhood and national context variables have explanatory power. The article provides an important starting point for a closer study of the role of national level factors.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS: DOES THE NETWORK OF CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS INFLUENCE PARTICIPATION IN NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECTS?

ABSTRACT: This article aims to explain variations in the participation of civic organizations in neighborhood projects. In particular, we inquire into the impact of the social networks of more than 400 local civic organizations on their participation in neighborhood projects in two Dutch cities. Two strands of literature constitute the basis for our arguments. First, there is much research on the determinants of individual participation showing that tenure, social-economic status, and being a member of the majority matter considerably. Second, network studies demonstrate that the structure and content of one’s relationships substantially influences successive actions. Our expectations are based on both bodies of knowledge. We survey the civic organizations in eight neighborhoods and analyze the impact of their social networks using multinomial logistic regression models. The results show that the actual number of relations in the network and the density of the networks are positively associated with participation in neighborhood projects. Furthermore, we show that organizations with high proportions of ethnic minorities provide less support, despite their networks. Finally, organizations with many professionals working for them participate more if their networks are taken into consideration.

Participation, Social Cohesion and the Challenges in the Governance Process: An Analysis of a Post-World War II Neighbourhood in the Netherlands

In the past 5 years, several scientific articles have been written on the theme of social cohesion in urban neighbourhoods. In most cases this literature focuses on the loss of social cohesion in these areas. In addition, many problems, such as a declining quality of life, physical deterioration, and social isolation have been related to a lack of social cohesion. Another set of articles has increased our knowledge on urban governance. While this work adds considerably to our general understanding of the changing role of the organization of urban social policy and its effects on neighbourhoods, there has been little attempt to date to analyse how policy-makers experience this relationship. This experience is crucial, because it is the basis of policy practice and action. The first aim here is therefore to analyse to what extent policy-makers experience an effect of participation on social cohesion, although the number of participants is relatively low. The empirical findings show that policy-makers do experience a positive effect of participation on the various dimensions of social cohesion. The second aim of the paper is to explain the level of participation by evaluating the governance process. The analyses indicate that the policy-makers face challenges related to the diversity of the population in the participation process, as well as reconciling different needs within decision-making processes.

Interethnic attitudes in urban neighbourhoods: The impact of neighbourhood disorder and decline

Previous studies of the relationship between interethnic attitudes and the ethnic composition of neighbourhoods have overlooked the impact of neighbourhood problems in ethnically concentrated neighbourhoods. This paper examines the influence of neighbourhood disorder and decline (i.e. increasing disorder) on interethnic attitudes, controlling for the ethnic composition of the neighbourhood. Neighbourhood disorder and decline are measured by indicators of social and physical neighbourhood problems. Additionally, we examine the extent to which the impact of (increasing) disorder on interethnic attitudes depends on the particular ethnic composition of the neighbourhood. Using a geocoded data set covering 1435 neighbourhoods in The Netherlands, we analyse interethnic attitudes among four ethnic minority groups and the native Dutch population. Multilevel analyses show that for both ethnic minority and native Dutch residents neighbourhood decline is associated with negative attitudes towards ethnic minority groups, particularly in neighbourhoods with many ethnic minority residents.

THE IMPACT OF ETHNIC CONCENTRATION ON PREJUDICE: THE ROLE OF CULTURAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC DIFFERENCES AMONG ETHNIC NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS

ABSTRACT: Many studies have examined the impact of the size of the neighborhood minority population on prejudicial attitudes of majority residents. However, few studies have investigated how residents of different ethnic origins evaluate different ethnic outgroups based on the shares of these particular ethnic outgroups in their neighborhood. Based on the belief congruency theory and social identity theory, we propose that the effect of outgroup size on outgroup attitudes depends on the socioeconomic and cultural differences between ethnic groups. Multilevel analyses of Dutch survey data gathered among Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese, Antillean, and native Dutch residents indicate that for most groups outgroup attitudes are not influenced by the share of the particular outgroup in their neighborhood. For some ethnic groups, however, the size of a particular outgroup is associated with less positive attitudes toward that outgroup. Differences in the effect of outgroup size on outgroup attitudes only partly correspond with cultural differences and socioeconomic status differences.

Resident Satisfaction in Post-WWII Housing Estates

Large housing estates in Europe are seen by many people as unattractive places to live. From the outside they indeed might not seem nice areas with their high-rise blocks, the concrete, the seemingly lack of liveliness. Also when walking through large housing estates, it is probably not love at first sight between potential visitors and the estate. Often estates are characterised by groups of young people hanging around in streets and shopping centres, surrounded by unattractive green areas and, in some estates by demolition processes, which gives some large housing estates an abandoned look. Conflicts between neighbours and people in the neighbourhood may seriously affect the quality of life in the area. Graffiti, in car thefts and house burglaries, or problems associated with drugs may be a liability for many different types of inhabitants of large housing estates.