Results

The neighborhood consists of the Oranjebuurt and the Noorderplantsoenbuurt and together they house around 6,400 residents. Students from the Communication and Information Sciences program went door-to-door with questionnaires to study social cohesion in the area. In total, 594 surveys were collected.

The questionnaires asked about demographic details, interactions with neighbors, and awareness of neighborhood associations.

Based on the research, several recommendations have been made, such as organizing neighborhood-wide activities, improving the visibility of the neighborhood center, and creating more meeting places. It’s also important to focus on families and newcomers to keep the neighborhood diverse and vibrant.

The results of the research will be shared with neighborhood associations and other stakeholders. The study will be repeated in a few years to see how the situation has evolved.

The most eyecatching results:

1. Notably, the Noorderplantsoenbuurt has a larger group of young people, while the Oranjebuurt has relatively more elderly residents.
2. Furthermore, almost 40% of residents have lived in the neighborhood for less than four years, while a quarter have lived there for more than 25 years.
3. The study shows that social cohesion in the Oranjewijk is reasonably strong, but there is room for improvement. For example, 70% of residents say they would trust their neighbors with their house keys, but only 37% to 41% feel there is a lot of contact with other residents.
4. Awareness of local organizations like Wij Groningen and the neighborhood centers also appears to need improvement, as only about a third of residents know about the neighborhood center on Prinsesseweg.
5. Residents mention that the biggest issues in the neighborhood are student noise, traffic congestion, parking problems, and crime or littering.
6. Additionally, about 9% of residents experience financial concerns, especially among young people between 16 and 25 years old.
7. Despite these concerns, there are many ideas and initiatives to make the neighborhood more vibrant and connected. Residents mention barbecues, drinks, and street parties as great ways to bring people together. There are also wishes for more green spaces and accessible meeting spots like De Huiskamer.
8. It’s important to pay attention to the needs of internationals; about 14% of the surveys were completed in English, and some residents said bilingual communication would be helpful.