Social capital in vulnerable urban settings: An analytical framework

Social capital has been identified as crucial to the fostering of resilience in rapidly expanding cities of the Global South. The purpose of this article is to better understand the complexities of urban social interaction and how such interaction can constitute ‘capital’ in achieving urban resilience. A concept analysis was conducted to establish what constitutes social capital, its relevance to vulnerable urban settings and how it can be measured. Social capital is considered to be constituted of three forms of interaction: bonds, bridges and linkages. The characteristics of these forms of interaction may vary according to the social, political, cultural and economic diversity to be found within vulnerable urban settings. A framework is outlined to explore the complex nature of social capital in urban settings. On the basis of an illustrative case study, indicators are established to indicate how culturally specific indicators are required to measure social capital that are sensitive to multiple levels of analysis and the development of a multidimensional framework. The framework outlined ought to be adapted to context and validated by future research.