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Funeral ceremonies, as a form of ritual, possess a series of extensional functions beyond the ceremonies themselves. At the core of funeral ceremonies lies the handling of the deceased's physical body, continually implying transcendent spiritual values to the participants. The educative function of the symbols in funeral ceremony behaviors is realized in the form of non-verbal symbols, with content specifically manifesting on the levels of individual life consciousness and community relationship awareness. The landscape of burial sites, as a tangible outcome of funeral ceremonies, plays a crucial role in sustaining the functions of funeral rituals and contributes to the inheritance of culture and consciousness at the societal collective level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social Impact Statement The importance of urban horticulture, a practice of growing plants in an urban environment, is increasingly recognized. It is widely acknowledged that such initiatives contribute towards liveable, sustainable, and resilient cities. Based on Singapore as a case example, this study highlights how urban horticulture programs, informed by research and implemented at a national level, bring about important benefits to urban dwellers including health and well‐being, and social cohesion through people and plant interactions. They support Singapore's vision to be a City in Nature, in addition to promoting food security. The experience in Singapore holds useful lessons for other cities. Summary Over the past few decades, there has been widespread recognition of the importance of urban vegetation to support cities' goals to be liveable, sustainable, and resilient to disturbances brought about by climate change. In this opinion article, we further highlight the importance of urban horticulture and its role in fostering the vision of Singapore to be a green city. Through the discussion of four national level programs, we illustrate how urban horticulture initiatives contributed to the social imperative to cultivate community ownership of green estates, community ties, and interest in horticulture. Community gardens offer distinct platforms for people to get together. Allotment gardens in parklands enable individuals to engage with nature through the various gardening activities and reap produce. The Gardening with Edibles program encourages home gardening through provision of resources. Lastly, specially designed therapeutic horticulture programs engage target groups to receive benefits from the facilitated nature‐based activities. The involvement of relevant governmental agencies, driven by taking an expanded view of urban horticulture targeted at delivering social objectives and achieving the environmental and ecological objectives of city greening, has contributed to the growth and expansion of the initiatives.

Social Impact Statement: The importance of urban horticulture, a practice of growing plants in an urban environment, is increasingly recognized. It is widely acknowledged that such initiatives contribute towards liveable, sustainable, and resilient cities. Based on Singapore as a case example, this study highlights how urban horticulture programs, informed by research and implemented at a national level, bring about important benefits to urban dwellers including health and well‐being, and social cohesion through people and plant interactions. They support Singapore's vision to be a City in Nature, in addition to promoting food security. The experience in Singapore holds useful lessons for other cities. Summary: Over the past few decades, there has been widespread recognition of the importance of urban vegetation to support cities' goals to be liveable, sustainable, and resilient to disturbances brought about by climate change. In this opinion article, we further highlight the importance of urban horticulture and its role in fostering the vision of Singapore to be a green city. Through the discussion of four national level programs, we illustrate how urban horticulture initiatives contributed to the social imperative to cultivate community ownership of green estates, community ties, and interest in horticulture. Community gardens offer distinct platforms for people to get together. Allotment gardens in parklands enable individuals to engage with nature through the various gardening activities and reap produce. The Gardening with Edibles program encourages home gardening through provision of resources. Lastly, specially designed therapeutic horticulture programs engage target groups to receive benefits from the facilitated nature‐based activities. The involvement of relevant governmental agencies, driven by taking an expanded view of urban horticulture targeted at delivering social objectives and achieving the environmental and ecological objectives of city greening, has contributed to the growth and expansion of the initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a kind of urban neighborhood with strong internal heterogeneity, mixed-housing neighborhoods have attracted wide attention from scholars in recent years. Strengthening community ties in mixed-housing neighborhoods is of great significance for increasing neighborhood social capital, cultivating a sense of community, and promoting sustainable development of the neighborhood. The neighborhood activities of residents are an important factor in promoting community ties. However, different housing groups in mixed-housing neighborhoods may have differentiated or even segregated overall daily activities, which may impact their neighborhood activities and call for differentiated planning strategies. In this study, we conduct an empirical study in Fuzhou, China, to identify the spatiotemporal-behavior-based microsegregation and differentiated community ties between residents of different types of housing. The data were collected in 2021 and included residents' activity diary data and questionnaire data about neighborhood interaction and community ties. Through an analysis of the daily overall activity space and activities within the neighborhood areas, the spatiotemporal-behavior-based social segregation of various housing groups is depicted. Furthermore, a multigroup structural equation modeling method was used to analyze the relationships among residents' spatiotemporal behaviors, neighborhood interactions, and community ties, and the heterogeneous influence effects across housing groups. The results show that the more residents' activity spaces overlap with the neighborhood area, the more out-of-home time they spend within the neighborhood, and that the more types of activities are conducted within the neighborhood area, the stronger their community ties are. In addition, neighborhood interaction played a linkage role in the relationships of residents' spatiotemporal behaviors and community ties. Our research aims to further the understanding of microsegregation at the neighborhood level and provide references for the development of mixed-housing neighborhoods and urban land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a kind of urban neighborhood with strong internal heterogeneity, mixed-housing neighborhoods have attracted wide attention from scholars in recent years. Strengthening community ties in mixed-housing neighborhoods is of great significance for increasing neighborhood social capital, cultivating a sense of community, and promoting sustainable development of the neighborhood. The neighborhood activities of residents are an important factor in promoting community ties. However, different housing groups in mixed-housing neighborhoods may have differentiated or even segregated overall daily activities, which may impact their neighborhood activities and call for differentiated planning strategies. In this study, we conduct an empirical study in Fuzhou, China, to identify the spatiotemporal-behavior-based microsegregation and differentiated community ties between residents of different types of housing. The data were collected in 2021 and included residents’ activity diary data and questionnaire data about neighborhood interaction and community ties. Through an analysis of the daily overall activity space and activities within the neighborhood areas, the spatiotemporal-behavior-based social segregation of various housing groups is depicted. Furthermore, a multigroup structural equation modeling method was used to analyze the relationships among residents’ spatiotemporal behaviors, neighborhood interactions, and community ties, and the heterogeneous influence effects across housing groups. The results show that the more residents’ activity spaces overlap with the neighborhood area, the more out-of-home time they spend within the neighborhood, and that the more types of activities are conducted within the neighborhood area, the stronger their community ties are. In addition, neighborhood interaction played a linkage role in the relationships of residents’ spatiotemporal behaviors and community ties. Our research aims to further the understanding of microsegregation at the neighborhood level and provide references for the development of mixed-housing neighborhoods and urban land use.

• We study a community health policy on disadvantaged neighborhoods of Barcelona. • Deployment was quasi-random, allowing to identify causal effects. • We find a reduction of intimate-partner and drug crimes, with different timing. • Evidence suggests that these results are due to the bolstering of community ties. • We show how non-traditional policies can also reduce local crime. Recent evidence indicates that alternative policies based on building community can reduce crime, especially in disadvantaged neighborhoods. In this paper we study the effects on local crime rates of bolstering community ties. We take advantage of the quasi-random deployment of a community health policy (Barcelona Salut als Barris , BSaB) that aims to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods through community-based initiatives. To test whether BSaB reduces crime, we follow a difference-in-differences approach and make use of detailed data from local police and Barcelona City Council administrative records. We find that BSaB significantly reduces a category we term "intimate crimes" in the short term and drug crimes in the long term. The young offender crime rate is also lowered. Evidence suggests that this is due to tighter-knit communities. These results provide evidence in favor of non-traditional crime prevention policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the coping mechanisms which Orthodox Jews in North London have adopted in managing antisemitism. The study, which was informed by a sociological framework, employed a qualitative approach using 28 semi-structured interviews and five focus groups. The findings reveal that despite the high frequency of the victimisation, and despite the awareness among respondents that antisemitism has seen a resurgence in recent years, Orthodox Jews have managed to accept the victimisation. The way the Orthodox Jewish community has managed their victimisation of antisemitism is argued to be profoundly different from the dominant narratives of hate crime victims, in that by and large the majority of respondents accepted their victimisation. It proposes that respondents were able to show agency and to normalise the victimisation because of their strong religious identity and close community ties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The therapeutic alliance is a critical determinant of individuals’ persistence and outcomes in mental health treatment. Simultaneously, individuals’ community networks shape decisions about whether, when, and what kind of treatment are used. Despite the similar focus on social relationship influence for individuals with serious mental illness, each line of research has maintained an almost exclusive focus on either ‘inside’ (i.e. treatment) networks or ‘outside’ (i.e. community) networks, respectively. Method. For this study, we integrate these important insights by employing a network-embedded approach to understand the therapeutic alliance. Using data from the Indianapolis Network Mental Health Study (INMHS, n = 169, obs = 2206), we target patients experiencing their first major contact with the mental health treatment system. We compare patients’ perceptions of support resources available through treatment providers and lay people, and ask whether evaluations of interpersonal dimensions of the therapeutic alliance are contingent on characteristics of community networks. Results. Analyses reveal that providers make up only 9% of the whole social network, but are generally perceived positively. However, when community networks are characterized by close relationships and frequent contact, patients are significantly more likely to report that treatment providers offer useful advice and information. Conversely, when community networks are in conflict, perceptions of treatment providers are more negative. Conclusion. Community-based social networks are critical for understanding facilitators of and barriers to effective networks inside treatment, including the therapeutic alliance. Implications for community-based systems of care are discussed in the context of the USA and global patterns of deinstitutionalization and community reintegration.

Background. The therapeutic alliance is a critical determinant of individuals' persistence and outcomes in mental health treatment. Simultaneously, individuals' community networks shape decisions about whether, when, and what kind of treatment are used. Despite the similar focus on social relationship influence for individuals with serious mental illness, each line of research has maintained an almost exclusive focus on either 'inside' (i.e. treatment) networks or 'outside' (i.e. community) networks, respectively. Method. For this study, we integrate these important insights by employing a network-embedded approach to understand the therapeutic alliance. Using data from the Indianapolis Network Mental Health Study (INMHS, n = 169, obs = 2206), we target patients experiencing their first major contact with the mental health treatment system. We compare patients' perceptions of support resources available through treatment providers and lay people, and ask whether evaluations of interpersonal dimensions of the therapeutic alliance are contingent on characteristics of community networks. Results. Analyses reveal that providers make up only 9% of the whole social network, but are generally perceived positively. However, when community networks are characterized by close relationships and frequent contact, patients are significantly more likely to report that treatment providers offer useful advice and information. Conversely, when community networks are in conflict, perceptions of treatment providers are more negative. Conclusion. Community-based social networks are critical for understanding facilitators of and barriers to effective networks inside treatment, including the therapeutic alliance. Implications for community-based systems of care are discussed in the context of the USA and global patterns of deinstitutionalization and community reintegration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If we look at periods of religions' development throughout history of humanity, you can see that the areas where the religions emerged are characterized by social chaos. The emergence of Islam in Mecca is in parallel with the loosening up of the rigid community ties in the nomadic culture and the beginning of individualism peculiar to city societies. The search of meaning for more just, dependable and balanced world to live in among the first Muslims formed a source for motivation which should not be underestimated regarding their embracement of Islam. Nonetheless it would be inadequate and wrong to try to explain the emergence of Islam with a reductionist approach, only with sociological and psyhological theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurs and everyday businessmen and women have long engaged in different kinds of civic-minded activities. This study explores ways that urban entrepreneurs and managers engage in civic activities while pursuing business growth. In this preliminary analysis of owners and managers who have participated in a technical assistance program geared for entrepreneurs who are ready to take their existing venture "to the next level", we identify a kind of entrepreneur whose business model incorporates a social mission. These are not "social entrepreneurs" who engage in business practices in order to push their social agenda. Nor are they mimicking businesses that follow a "corporate social responsibility" model because they were shamed into it or believe it will be good for their bottom line. These are people whose ventures must make a profit if their social mission is to be achieved. They run what we call a "civic enterprise". Their behavior reflects a kind of "civic-minded capitalism". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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