Lang, Richard, Novy, Andreas. 2014. Cooperative Housing and Social Cohesion: The Role of Linking Social Capital. European Planning Studies 22 (8): 1744-1764.

RIS

@ARTICLE{Lang2014,
title = {Cooperative Housing and Social Cohesion: The Role of Linking Social Capital},
author = {Richard Lang and Andreas Novy},
year = {2014},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2013.800025},
volume = {22},
number = {8},
language = {EN},
pages = {1744-1764},
journal = {European Planning Studies},
abstract = {The article examines the role of housing cooperatives for social cohesion in the city by introducing linking social capital which grasps the vertical dimension of social capital. Housing cooperatives represent a crucial intermediate level between residents and urban housing policy, thus providing opportunity structures for bottom-linked citizen participation. Drawing on the case of Vienna, a large-scale household survey and interviews with key informants provide empirical evidence on the importance of a form of social capital which links actors at different levels in the spatial hierarchy: residents, housing managers and political decision-makers. The findings add to our understanding of the opportunities and problems with resident participation in a policy field structured by multi-level governance. Our two-level analysis shows that the dominant model of governance, top-down as well as neoliberal, has structurally limited the room for participatory practices in cooperative housing. Nevertheless, we argue that professional housing cooperatives have a potential to give residents a voice beyond the neighbourhood. Their strong linkages with public decision-makers at different scales can help leverage ideas and resources of residents.},
}