Sidestepping Physical Determinism in Planning: The Role of Compactness, Design, and Social Perceptions in Shaping Sense of Community

The promotion of sense of community has been a significant element of the spatial planning agenda of planners in recent years. This paper aims to explore the combined influence of typological characteristics of urban neighborhoods, as well as, social and cultural components. This empirical study was conducted in Beer Sheva, the largest city in southern Israel. This paper concludes that in addition to typological components, sociocultural perceptions have a significant impact on sense of community. Furthermore, planners should therefore remain critical and highly circumspect of acts of physical planning meant to impact the social aspects of a community.