Social capital of cities: Emerging networks of horizontal assistance

After reviewing relevant global trends in city development and situating the work in the theoretical context of social capital literature, this paper reports on an empirical study of technical visits by cities from the developing world to Seattle, Washington. The paper reports on basic descriptive statistics and features of the visits that were in line with the approach to measure ‘structural’ social capital [Uphoff N. Understanding social capital: learning from the analysis and experience of participation. In: Dagupta P, I. Serageldin, editors. Social capital: a multifaceted perspective. Washington, DC: World Bank; 2000. Grootaert C, Van Bastelaer T. Understanding and measuring social capital. A synthesis of findings and recommendations from the social capital initiative. Forum series on the role of institutions in promoting economic growth. Washington, DC: USAID and IRIS; 2002, January 11]. Many areas emerged with potential policy or theoretical interest, for example, the transaction costs of information exchange, the role of mediating institutions, the payoff of facilitation and structured learning for city delegations, and the role of international development assistance organizations like the World Bank in facilitating such exchanges. The authors see the Seattle data as representative, in part, of the burgeoning exchanges between and among cities as they respond to new global pressures. Further study should explore the costs and the impact of the exchanges. Policy measures could guide and improve effectiveness of information flow as a new tool to achieve sustainable urban development.