Why people love their communities

Soul of Community project

Vilas Bhuchar, Nov 22, 10.

Social offerings, such as entertainment venues and places to meet, openness (how welcoming a place is), and aesthetics (physical beauty and green spaces) most attach people to place, according to a Knight Soul of the Communities 2010 report.

The three-year study, launched by Gallup and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, interviewed close to 43,000 people in 26 communities to find out what makes communities desirable to live in, what draws people to stake their future in communities, and whether communities with more attached residents are better off.

A project website includes a map of the communities studied, an overview of the project, and a video summarizing the study: