Neighbourhoods are both physical and social environments

This is helpful, from Rob Wheway on the Guardian’s public leader’s network this morning:

‘Neighbourliness happens without payment and would be categorised as voluntary. Politicians and staff assume this means the voluntary sector, which leads them to focus on the services that local and national charities provide, rather than considering what factors in the social and physical environment make people more likely to be neighbourly...’

‘It is not fear of stranger danger that makes the difference; it is the dominance of the car which limits neighbourliness...’

And especially his last para:

‘We need to understand more of how we create both the physical and social environment in which people feel sufficiently secure, empowered and valued to be more neighbourly and more active citizens.’

Neighbourhoods are both physical and social environments and the more we live in a network society, the more neighbourly behaviour is likely to be distinguishable from other relations.

So please can we have a considered, informed, practice-oriented debate on Rob's last point, bringing together planners, architects, social care managers, youth workers, resident activists, resident non-activists, housing association officers, community development workers… And policy makers.