The Cul-de-sac Effect: Relationship between Street Design and Residential Social Cohesion

Abstract

Recent debates in urban planning have centered on whether the cul-de-sac street form should be eliminated from the United States’ topography. Critics argue that these closed-off streets force residents into their automobiles, reduce communal interaction, are difficult for emergency vehicles to traverse, and are not environmentally friendly. Developers, realtors, and homebuyers, on the other hand, clamor for these streets, which are private, quiet, and safe for raising children. Lacking from debates over the future of the cul-de-sac are systematic analyses assessing the social consequences of living on these streets. This study utilized a quasi-experimental design to assess differences in residential social cohesion for residents of “bulb” cul-de-sacs, “dead-end” cul-de-sacs, and through streets. My data reveal that bulb residents experience the highest levels of attitudinal and behavioral cohesion, followed by dead-ends, then through streets. With planning debates about the future of the cul-de-sac currently taking place across the country, this study provides timely insight into the relationship between street design and neighborly bonds.