Social Cohesion: The Missing Element

Social cohesion is defined as "the strength of relationships and sense of belonging among members of a community." In my 25+ years of work in helping neighborhoods develop and grow, no greater realization was demonstrated to me than the power and social cohesion in community development work. Margaret Mead summed it up best with her now well-known quote, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has." When I think back on all the amazing things that came from working alongside my community to create a robust vision for the future and then drove that vision forward, it is clear that it would have never moved forward if it weren't for the strength of the bonds of our neighbors.

However, if we just think of social cohesion as to what type of vision it can move forward I feel that we have missed something truly special. At its core social cohesion is about relationships and from those relationships, the sense of belonging that is evoked. Over and over again as I have toured various communities and efforts, I have been struck by how many of these efforts are only paying attention to the buildings they build or the retail spaces that are created and not to the sense of connection to each other that is being facilitated. This is worrisome, because if the individuals the leaders of these efforts intend to impact don't feel connected to one another or connected to the place where those relationships exist, then it is just a matter of time before a sense of belonging begins to erode and the very people who had been there from the beginning and whom may have even created the initial vision will succumb to some opportunity or life event that makes the decision to leave the community relatively easy. One intended byproduct of neighborhood work is that the quality of housing stock over time begins to improve and, subsequently, the value of such property as well. If the pre-work of increasing home ownership was done then you could count it a success that those who were likely to be left out of the growth and generation of wealth were now included. However, without a sense of belonging, it becomes difficult to retain those individuals and then eventually the community population changes so drastically that sense of belonging is lost rapidly.

But suppose neighbors, especially those who are financially vulnerable, are able to establish deep ties with one another. In that case, they are more likely to mobilize to advocate for preserving the beauty of connection and to ensure that the development that is performed represents the needs of their neighbors. Additionally, the impact on kids can be seen in greater support in times of need and greater buffers to toxic stressors.

The benefits of social cohesion in all of our lives seem clear but very few organizations and community development efforts pay much attention to it, let alone work to create opportunities for social cohesion to form and be strengthened. It could be argued, in fact, that without paying attention to social cohesion in our communities we could actually be doing more damage than good.