Dogs of all shapes and sizes thrive in cities. Some city residents love dogs, and others hate them. But regardless, dogs play a critical role in keeping urban inhabitants connected and healthy. In the School of Cities’ new occasional video series, Dog Days in the City, we show how dogs foster interaction that builds social capital. In an upcoming video, we demonstrate how both dogs and their humans live longer by connecting with nature. With upcoming episodes on residential density, main streets, and more, the series uses a dog’s point of view to talk about what makes a good city and how cities and dogs strengthen the fabric of society.
If dogs make cities better, the first question is, do we have enough dogs? Looking at the City Toronto, we map licensed dogs. At first glance, it seems that downtown and adjacent neighbourhoods benefit from multiple packs of canines (with each dog snout representing 50 dogs). But might that just be because there are more people downtown?
Our next map reveals the answer – and it’s no! Actually, the greatest density of dogs (measured in dogs per 1,000 residents), occurs is the neighbourhoods just outside of downtown, such as Greektown, Roncesvalles, and The Annex. Areas to the northeast and northwest are poorly served by dogs, i.e. what we might call dog deserts (no, not the kind made of peanut butter).
Seriously, are dog deserts a problem? Studies have shown that dog ownership is strongly associated with higher levels of social capital – the trust and norms of reciprocity that help society function smoothly.i,ii Urban sociologists have long recognized the special ability of cities to connect people from different backgrounds.iii This bridging social capital helps communities develop more familiarity and tolerance of others with different backgrounds and beliefs, undergirding democracy.iv Cities can foster these bridges via civic infrastructure –from libraries to schools to parks – which enables chance encounters and casual connections across a diverse population. As we show in our first video, urban dog parks serve this function too.
Yet, not only are some neighbourhoods lacking dogs, they also have a deficit of dog parks. Toronto has over 80 dog parks within easy walking distance for many residents, but they are concentrated downtown rather than in the areas of greatest dog density. Large swaths of Toronto to the east and west and north have no dog parks at all. This dog park desert compounds the lack of other civic infrastructure in some of these neighbourhoods. Given how dogs and dog parks contribute to health, happiness, and civil society, the dearth of dog parks is clearly inequitable.
If you’ve read this far, chances are you like dogs. But even those who harbour ill-will toward our canine friends can build bridging social capital through them. What dog owner has not been chastised by a stranger for neglecting to curb their dog (and their dog’s enthusiasm)? Not all interaction has to be positive in order to connect people. Reminding a dog owner of their obligation to the public good is an important stepping stone to establishing the norms that enable us to live together peacefully and productively. And great cities, with plenty of dog parks, make possible the peace, order, and good governance that makes Canada the envy of the world.
References
i Lisa Wood, Karen Martin, Hayley Christian, Steve Houghton, Ichiro Kawachi, Shannen Vallesi, and Sandra McCune, “Social capital and pet ownership–a tale of four cities,” Social Science & Medicine-Population Health 3, 442-447, 2017.
ii Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (New York: Simon and Schuster), 2001.
iii Georg Simmel, The metropolis and mental life, in D. Levine (ed.), On individuality and social forms, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1971 [1903].
iv Pamela Paxton, “Social Capital and Democracy: An Interdependent Relationship,” American Sociological Review 67(2):254–77, 2002.
Data on licensed dogs: https://open.toronto.ca/dataset/licensed-dogs-and-cats-reports/
