The Geography of Urban Belonging
What our London research reveals about city connection.
Posted April 15, 2025 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan
In our increasingly urban world, many of us know the paradox all too well: being surrounded by millions of people yet feeling utterly alone. This disconnection isn't just uncomfortable—it's unhealthy. Decades of research have found consistent associations between social connection and physical health outcomes, with studies suggesting that loneliness and isolation are correlated with health risks that researchers sometimes compare to those of smoking or obesity.
But what creates that crucial sense of belonging, especially in massive metropolitan areas? In our recent work at the Annecy Behavioral Science Lab, my team and I partnered with Neighbourly Lab to explore by examining two diverse London boroughs—Camden and Westminster—revealing that the path to belonging differs dramatically depending on where you live.
The Science of Belonging
Before diving into the findings, let's clarify what we mean by "belonging." As part of the broader concept of social connection, belonging encompasses our sense of fitting in, being accepted, and feeling that our presence matters within a community. Unlike fleeting interactions, true belonging creates psychological safety and integration with our surroundings.
Studies have found correlations between strong social connections and various health indicators, including psychological well-being, reported stress levels, and certain physical health measures. Research has also observed relationships between loneliness and various physiological responses, though the exact mechanisms and causal pathways remain an area of ongoing study.
Comparing London Boroughs
Using data from the comprehensive 2021-2022 Survey of Londoners and sophisticated machine learning analysis , we worked on identifying the different patterns of belonging in Camden versus Westminster—neighborhoods separated by just a few miles.
Camden: Community Harmony and the "Goldilocks Zone" of Safety
In Camden—known for its vibrant markets, music venues, and cultural diversity—our analysis identified that the strongest statistical predictor of belonging to London was residents' perception that "people from different backgrounds get along well." This correlation is particularly interesting in this diverse borough, suggesting a possible relationship between perceptions of social cohesion among diverse people and feelings of connection to the broader city.
Fascinatingly, perceptions of local crime followed a counterintuitive pattern. We also discovered a "Goldilocks effect", as residents who reported moderate (rather than very low or very high) levels of crime perception in their area also tended to report stronger feelings of belonging to London. This correlational finding raises interesting questions about how different perceptions of urban environments might relate to feelings of connection. While we cannot determine causality from these observations, they highlight the complexity of factors associated with urban belonging.
Westminster: Professional Connections and Educational Status
Meanwhile, in Westminster—home to government buildings, corporate headquarters, and tourist attractions—we found an entirely different set of variables associated with belonging to London. Here, belonging correlated with factors like daily banking app usage and higher educational attainment.
This suggests that in areas dominated by professional and institutional life, the variables that correlate with feeling that you "belong" to London as a whole are more associated with socioeconomic factors than with community harmony measures. In Westminster, belonging appears linked to one's ability to participate in the borough's economic and intellectual culture.
Considerations for Understanding Urban Belonging
These correlational findings suggest that belonging in urban environments may be associated with different factors across different areas, even within the same city.
For those interested in the psychology of urban belonging, our research points to several considerations:
Potential Research Implications
Our findings may raise considerations for those studying or working on urban social connection:
Understanding Urban Connection
Our analysis suggests that feeling connected to a major city like London relates to a complex set of factors that may vary by location. While our correlational findings cannot establish causality or provide definitive guidance, they highlight the value of considering local context when examining urban belonging.
The data from Camden and Westminster present an intriguing picture of how different aspects of urban life—from perceptions of diversity and safety to socioeconomic factors—correlate with residents' sense of connection to London. As research in this area continues to develop, we hope to gain a more nuanced understanding of how people form attachments to the cities they inhabit.
This part is a summary of a post I wrote on LinkedIn and was part of a broader collaboration with Neighbourly Lab .
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Hans Rocha IJzerman, Ph.D., is Founder and Director of the Annecy Behavioral Science Lab (ABSL) in France and is a Research Affiliate at the University of Oxford.
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