The Manifestation of Neighborhood Effects: A Pattern for Community Growth?

Neighborhood effects, or the development of community by neighborhoods, are often studied in an urban context. Previous research has neglected to examine the influence of neighborhoods in nonurban settings. Our case study, however, contributes to the existing literature as it takes place in a small,...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Michael R. Cope, Jorden E. Jackson, Scott R. Sanders, Lance D. Erickson, Tippe Morlan, Ralph B. Brown
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-02-01
Series:Societies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/10/1/16
Description
Summary:Neighborhood effects, or the development of community by neighborhoods, are often studied in an urban context. Previous research has neglected to examine the influence of neighborhoods in nonurban settings. Our case study, however, contributes to the existing literature as it takes place in a small, rural-to-urban town at an important point in time where the town was urbanizing. We find that neighborhood effects also influence community satisfaction and attachment in Creekdale, an urbanizing town. Using survey data (<i>N =</i> 1006) drawn from the Creekdale Community Citizens Viewpoint Survey (CCVS), we find that, contrary to conventional wisdom, population size and density does not matter necessarily for an individual&#8217;s community attachment and satisfaction; community experience is shaped by neighborhood effects.
ISSN:2075-4698