In contemporary urban society, the fragmentation of social ties and deepening individualization have made the restoration of community-based social capital a pressing challenge. Sociologist Eric Klinenberg defines "social infrastructure" as the physic...
In contemporary urban society, the fragmentation of social ties and deepening individualization have made the restoration of community-based social capital a pressing challenge. Sociologist Eric Klinenberg defines "social infrastructure" as the physical spaces where individuals interact and build relationships, emphasizing its critical role in fostering social cohesion. While urban planning has long acknowledged the significance of the built environment in shaping social capital since Jane Jacobs, empirical studies examining how specific types of infrastructure contribute to distinct dimensions of social capital across varying personal and regional contexts remain limited.
This study systematically investigates the relationship between social infrastructure and social capital, incorporating both regional conditions and individual characteristics. Based on Klinenberg's conceptual framework, twelve types of facilities relevant to Korean urban society—including libraries, parks, cafés, and sports centers—were selected and categorized into three functional types: everyday infrastructure, cultural consumption infrastructure, and welfare-support infrastructure. Social capital was differentiated into two types: relational social capital, centered on community-based trust, reciprocity, and neighborhood networks; and participatory social capital, focused on voluntary social participation through organized activities.
Using 2023 Korea Community Health Survey data and regional statistics from 250 municipalities nationwide, a two-level hierarchical linear modeling analysis revealed fundamentally different formation mechanisms for the two types of social capital. Relational social capital exhibited strong dependence on regional structural factors—such as urbanity, population density, and average income—with higher levels in rural areas and lower levels in dense urban centers. Community-based public infrastructure such as village halls and libraries showed positive effects. In contrast, participatory social capital was primarily determined by individual socioeconomic characteristics (education level, income), with minimal regional variation.
Notably, the effects of social infrastructure were conditional, varying according to individual characteristics through interaction effects. Everyday infrastructure provided opportunities for relationship recovery among divorced or widowed individuals while showing negative effects on single individuals due to family-oriented spatial characteristics. Cultural consumption infrastructure significantly enhanced social participation only among highly educated individuals, demonstrating mechanisms where cultural capital and education interact. Welfare-support infrastructure functioned as an important participation pathway for the elderly but showed limited effects among middle-aged adults. Additionally, the negative effects of welfare-support infrastructure on relational capital were mitigated among non-economically active individuals, suggesting that time availability and necessity enabled more active utilization. Religious facilities consistently showed negative effects on both types of social capital, indicating potential interference with open community relationship formation through in-group bonding.
These findings empirically demonstrate that physical spaces do not automatically generate social relationships but are differentially received and utilized according to individuals' life stages and socioeconomic positions. The study contributes an integrated analytical framework that transcends fragmentary approaches by empirically identifying the complex nature and type-specific formation mechanisms of social capital. Through nationwide quantitative analysis, it provides foundational data for effective urban policy while deepening theoretical understanding of social capital formation mechanisms. The policy implications emphasize the need for customized infrastructure strategies that consider regional characteristics and target demographics, moving beyond uniform facility provision toward designing multifunctional and inclusive infrastructure that can simultaneously enhance both relational and participatory capital, thereby restoring fragmented communities and increasing social capital resilience.