Markus Gmür
Professor
PER 21 - B340
+41 26 300 8405
The Making of Solidarity
Social and digital networks in neighbourhoods
This research project investigates how community cohesion and solidarity can be strengthened in new, urbanized and digitalized neighbourhoods. At a time when mobility, diversity and digital networking are changing society, the concept of “neighbourhood” is more fluid and complex than ever.
Aim
New urban areas have become the daily living environment for many people. A positive and cohesive community life in these areas fosters security, quality of life, well-being, and social resilience.
Our goal is to understand how participation and solidarity contribute to the development of vibrant urban neighbourhoods. We aim to explore the factors that influence the sense of community and togetherness, and to identify the conditions under which these dynamics are shaped.
We examine both physical social interactions and virtual encounters on online community platforms organized by neighbourhoods, as well as their interplay. We are particularly interested in the diverse forms of social participation and community building, both online and offline as potential ways to develop the sense of belonging and cohesion.
Methodologies
The project is inter- and transdisciplinary, with two researchers from sociology of collective action and urban sociology collaborating with two researchers from political science and organizational and management studies. Both quantitative and qualitative, ethnographic and theory-based approaches are pursued.
To undertake our fieldwork, we are collaborating with a range of partners, most notably five residential communities located in both German- and French-speaking regions of Switzerland. Furthermore, in order to investigate neighbourhood dynamics within digital environments, we are engaging with the online community platform BeUnity.
Project team
Muriel Surdez Sainsaulieu
Professor
PER 21 - G304
+41 26 300 8243
Project Activities
What keeps neighbourhoods together in an increasingly mobile and digital world?
In this survey, we examine the relationship between social activity and neighbourly ties. We take into account various influencing factors, including the housing situation, satisfaction with the living environment, the use of public and communal various and different socio-economic characteristics of the respondents.
Conference Presentations
Betzler, D. (2024, September). Platform ecologies in the cultural and creative industries, 22nd Interdisciplinary European Conference on Entrepreneurship Research (IECER), Innsbruck, Austria.
Betzler, D. (2024, July). The making of neighbourhood communities: Urban and digital spaces of common?, Conference „Digital Communities– Social proximity from a spatial distance“, 18th and 19th July 2024, Institute of Social Science, Kiel University, in cooperation with Ferdinand-Tönnies Society and German Sociological Association (DGS), Section Sociological Theory, 18-19 July 2014, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany.
Conference attendance and symposium moderation
Betzler, D. (2025, February 28 – March 1). Winterkongress der Digitalen Gesellschaft, Winterthur, Switzerland.
Betzler, D. (2024, June). Moderation of Symposium on Digital Platforms, "Fostering innovations to address grand challenges", European Academy of Management, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom.
Presentations at civic forums
Delley, L. (2024, June 6). " S’approprier l’espace public ": Commune de Meyrin, Apéros citoyens, Meyrin, Switzerland.
Teaching activities
Autumn semester 2024:
Surdez Muriel, avec Lucien Delley: BA Sociology: "Seminar Research", Future of food in a Ecoquartier (Marly)
Surdez Muriel, avec Lucien Delley: MA Culture, Politics and Religion in Pluralist Societies: Seminar ""How platforms and uberisation are changing our lifestyles ? Research into social and digital relations in an eco-neighbourhood (Marly)"
Bachelor's seminar "Sociological research: food in the Marly eco-district"
14.04. 2025: participation in Sustainability Week, Collège St-Michel, "Webtoon ton quartier" workshop (L. Delley, C. Pictet, M. Surdez, D. Betzler)
13.05, 20.05 and 12.06: intervention at Collège du Sud, Bulle, 2 classes from the Ecole de culture générale, training in social work, Workshop on the creation of solidarity in neighbourhoods and at school (M. Surdez, C. Pictet)
Survey
Survey "The making of solidarity: social and digital networks in neighbourhood", data collection phase from May 2025 to August 2025, in French and German language.
Innocheck-Project
BeUnity & Uni Fribourg: "Connect4Community. Ein Benchmarking zur Förderung von Partizipation und Zusammenhalt in Nachbarschaften" (Connect4Community: A Benchmarking Approach to Promoting Participation and Cohesion in Neighbourhoods). (Innockeck – Innosuisse, Project Duration: June 2025 to February 2026, Co-Leader Diana Betzler).
Cooperation Partners in the field
Neighbourhoods: Grütlimooshof (Adliswil), Rietpark (Schlieren), CeCe-Areal (Zürich), Plaines-du-Loup (Lausanne), Ancienne-Papeterie (Marly).
BeUnity a Swiss enterprise that promotes community engagement and social cohesion through digital platforms that empower local collaboration and participation.
GZ Zürich Foundation (Gemeinschaftszentrum Zürich, from May 2025) is a network of 17 community centres in Zurich, dedicated to fostering social inclusion, cultural exchange, and local engagement by offering a wide range of activities, events, and services for residents of all ages and backgrounds.