Revealing the heterogeneity of social capital in shrinking cities from a social infrastructure perspective: Evidence from Hegang, China.
Cheng, Q., Sha, S. and Cheng, W. (2023). Applied Geography, 159, 103087.
Back to Journey
2023
Building the social foundations of resilience
In 2023, the research began connecting physical urban environments with the social systems that allow communities to function. Shared spaces, public facilities, environmental quality, and social relationships emerged as important foundations of resilience.
Featured direction
Resilience beyond physical infrastructure
This stage examined how social networks, shared spaces, public facilities, and environmental conditions influence the capacity of urban communities to respond to change.
Stage summary
Building the social foundations of resilience
In 2023, the research established that urban resilience depends on more than physical infrastructure. Social networks, accessible public facilities, shared spaces, environmental quality, and patterns of everyday interaction all influence how communities experience and respond to urban change. This stage created the social and spatial foundation for later work on climate risk, health, and inequality.
Publications
Social infrastructure and urban resilience
The Inspirations of Action-Oriented Social Infrastructure Regeneration Practices: A Case Study of Bayside City, Australia.
Lu, M., Sha, S. and Cheng, Q. (2023). Urban Planning International, 40(4), 129–138.
Public space and environmental quality
Effects of thermal environment and air quality on outdoor thermal comfort in urban parks of Tianjin, China.
Bian, G., Gao, X., Zou, Q., Cheng, Q., Sun, T., Sha, S. and Zhen, M. (2023). Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(43), 97363–97376.
Figures and maps
Social and environmental patterns
Representative outputs from this stage include social-network diagrams, public-facility and shared-space analysis, environmental-quality measurements, and spatial patterns of community resources.
- Social infrastructure and community-network analysis
- Public-space and environmental-quality assessment
- Climate-responsive planning diagrams
Datasets
Community and environmental evidence
The studies drew on community surveys, social-network information, spatial data on shared facilities and public spaces, and environmental observations of thermal comfort and air quality.
Notes and updates
What changed in our thinking
The presence of infrastructure does not guarantee resilience. What matters is whether people can access it, use it, and connect through it.