Naapurisuhteet ja sosiaalinen sekoittaminen pääkaupunkiseudulla

This master's thesis widens the on-going discussion on spatial segregation in Helsinki capital region with a focus on social relations between neighbors and social mix policy. Social heterogeneity in the neighborhood has been argued to diminish interaction between neighbors. In this thesis the argument is tested in the context of the Finnish capital region using statistical and GIS methods. The data is based on a welfare survey carried out in 2012 in the greater Helsinki metropolitan region. Four survey sections measuring the frequency of different types of interactions between neighbors are analyzed using spatial statistical data of 250 x 250 m grid cells. In the academic discussion following the works of Chicago school neighborhoods have traditionally been treated as communities, characterized by cultural homogeneity, sense of place and shared social norms. These kinds of neighborhoods encourage a sense of community and strong ties between neighbors as well as the creation of social capital: social relations that can be turned into material benefits. The assumption of neighborhoods as communities has also been criticized. Social network theory offers an alternative perspective on neighbor relations: in modern urban settings the social network of a person, consisting of strong and weak ties (Granovetter 1973; 1983), typically exceeds the geographical boundaries of a neighborhood and neighbor relations merely form one part of the network. In neighborhoods where the population is socially homogenous neighbor relations may grow stronger, leading to an increased likelihood of sense of community and social capital. On the other hand, weak ties between different kinds of people living in the same neighborhood can increase social cohesion on a broader level. Due to increased segregation and selective migration since the 1990s, both neighborhoods of social heterogeneity and social homogeneity can be found in the capital region of Finland. To prevent negative social segregation social mix policy has been an established part of housing policy since the 1960s. In Helsinki social mix policy has been implemented in a preventive manner by planning and building owner-occupied and rental housing in the same blocks and neighborhoods. Spatial segregation has been thought to potentially lead to neighborhood effects especially in areas of high concentration of poverty. In this master's thesis the interest lies mainly on the potential neighborhood effects of socially mixed neighborhoods. If neighbor relations are stronger where neighbors are more alike, can social mix policy negatively affect neighbor relations? The survey questions regarding neighbor interaction have been analyzed with an areal social mix variable. The social mix variable created for the 250 x 250 m grid cells is based on the percentage of rental apartments of apartments in total in the grid cell. The grid cells have been categorized into six different classes: firstly based on the predominant type of housing of the grid cell (owner-occupied, mixed, rental) and then by the income level (below mean income, above mean income of the region). Cross tabulation of neighbor interaction and areal social mix showed that in areas of mixed housing (rental apartments comprising 33,4–66,6, % of all apartments) levels of interaction between neighbors are generally lower than in predominantly owner-occupied or predominantly rental areas. When the relationship between neighbor interaction and social mix of the neighborhood was scrutinized using logistic regression analysis, it was found that lower levels of social interaction between neighbors in socially mixed areas are explained by individual attributes of the survey respondents. A major factor affecting neighbor social interaction is the type of dwelling and occupancy of the respondent. Those living in owner-occupied apartments or row houses tend to engage with neighbors more often. Consequently, it is discussed whether social mix policy by mixing different types of apartments can lead to true social mixing on its own, as social mix is typically implemented in apartment buildings and densely built areas where the prerequisites for neighbor interactions are the poorest possible.