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Does "Main Street" Promote Sense of Community? A Comparison of San Francisco Neighborhoods

University of California, Irvine

Sheldon Gen

San Francisco State University

Creating "community" has long been a goal of urban planners. Although such rhetoric abounds in planning circles, what it all means is unclear. In this article, the authors review the community psychology and urban planning literature, defining sense of community within the context of how the built environment might facilitate or impede it. They then present their research, which tests the effects of "main street" on sense of community in four San Francisco neighborhoods. Results indicate that respondents in neighborhoods exhibiting characteristics of a main street town (Bernal Heights and West Portal) have significantly higher sense of community than do respondents from a high-density neighborhood (Nob Hill) and from a more suburban-style city neighborhood (Sunset).

Key Words: sense of community • main street • San Francisco • neighborhood • urban planning • urban design • urban form

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