Urban design and social capital: a case study on Braunstone New Deal for Communities area

The New Deal for Communities (NDC) regeneration programme aims to provide resources to tackle five key themes: poor job prospects; crime; educational under achievement; poor health; and problems with housing and the physical environment in the most deprived areas in the UK. In Braunstone NDC (BNDC), many initiatives have been underway to improve the area, together with substantial investment in buildings to provide a library, civic centre, health centre, leisure facilities and several others, with the ultimate aim of improving the quality of life of the residents of Braunstone. Our work revealed a significant void in tools to address social sustainability across all scales and at different stages of urban development. The ‘social capital’ work package addressed this by exploring the connection between urban development and social capital; one aspect of social sustainability. This work package identified the urban design attributes that encourage social capital to inform visions for sustainable urban development. As these ‘softer’ attributes are not easily quantified, the study specifically looked at forms of proxies that could be made use of in assessment such as ‘walkability’ and improvement to facilities that helps build social capital. The purpose of this report is to inform the findings of this case study to Braunstone Community Association and the residents of Braunstone.