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Abstract
There is growing concern that the built forms resulting from conventional suburban design may be adversely affecting the social well-being, sense of community, and psychological health of its residents. This study tested the premise that suburban neighborhood developments (n = 36) designed in accordance with a New Urbanist inspired planning policy in Perth, Western Australia, improved residents’ (n = 644) sense of community and mental health. Findings revealed that with each 10% increase in policy compliance, residents odds of experiencing high sense of community increased by 21% (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = [1.04, 1.41]) and low psychological distress increased by 14% (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = [1.01, 1.28]). These results add empirical input to the debate surrounding the rhetoric and purported social goals and benefits of the New Urbanism, indicating that implementation of its neo-traditionalist neighborhood design principles may help create the conditions for positive neighborhood sense of community and mental health.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 305-339 |
Number of pages | 35 |
Journal | Environment and Behavior |
Volume | 52 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 30 Sept 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2020 |
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