Evidence of the Impacts of Urban Sprawl on Social Capital

Sprawl opponents have blamed sprawl for weakening linkages among the residents and social capital but there is a lack of empirical evidence to support their argument. This study examines the relationship between the county sprawl index and social-capital factors from the 2000 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey data. Using 3-level hierarchical models, this study shows that for the US, urban sprawl may support some types of social capital while negatively impacting the others. Furthermore, changing urban form via population density and street accessibility at the county level may not be ideal to improve social capital.