Visualizing sense of community and social fragmentation

1255 outcomes.4,5 The level of deprivation in an area is also a factor considered in these area-based studies. For a small-scale study as part of a medical degree special study component, a visual index of socioeconomic status was modified specifically for Bristol—an urban area in the south-west of England—including items such as graffiti and broken windows as well as looking at standard building components such as the condition of front entrances, garages, and also the surrounding area. Small postcode areas known to have high and low area social fragmentation scores were surveyed using this index. The highly socially fragmented areas How do you capture the sense of community of an area? And why is sense of community important? The community and the environment where an individual lives can have a significant impact on the individual’s health and well-being. In particular, recent research has shown that the level of ‘social fragmentation’ in an area—weak of social connections—is strongly correlated with suicide rates,1,2 echoing Durkheim’s classic sociological work on suicide and social integration over a century ago.3 The built environment in which a person lives is also linked to health, and recent work has developed visual (‘broken windows’) indices for areas and related them to health