May 31, 2012
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Sense of Community
A long time ago in a state far, far away I helped develop neighborhoods into communities. Our goal was not to only build affordable housing, but to create communities of people.
Whether we were revitalizing, creating mixed developments, or creating new developments, my goal was to try to make the new residents new community members. We held neighborhood meetings, started neighborhood watches, sponsored block parties and helped to enforce codes. We educated people on saving money on energy, maintaining your home, lawn care, and foreclosure prevention.
We were attempting to instill a sense of community. A sense of community consists of four primary parts:
1. Membership – The first part is believing that you belong where you are. You need to feel that you are accepted as a member and are personally as well as financially invested in your membership.
2. Influence – This does not mean that you have the largest home on the block, it means that your voice and opinion is heard. You do not need to be the leader to have influence, you only need to know that you aren’t ignored.
3. Integration and Fulfillment of Goals – Your participation in the community needs to serve your goals as well as the community goals. Building equity, maintaining stability for your family, and sharing a network of neighbors and friends that can help in a pinch are all examples of ways that your participation and involvement serve you as well as the greater good.
4. Shared Emotional Connection – When you sit on a bench next to your neighbor and watch your children play in the park, you can share a moment with a neighbor who may have never otherwise been a friend. Shared emotional connections creates a sense of security and belonging that creates a deeper commitment to the community or neighborhood.
My focus in creating these neighborhoods also centered around bike paths, shared green spaces and parks, front porches and clear bylaws. I participated in all the community building meetings, but the truth is that the residents had to find their own sense of community, our organization could only do so much.
Though our projects were successful at creating permanent, low crime and low foreclosure rated neighborhoods, sometimes I wonder how many people really want a close community like this. Statistics and grant funding show a push for more close knit mixed use neighborhoods, but yet they are often viewed as low class and created for low income people despite the mix in housing. Municipalities never want to gentrify low income neighborhoods, which is why they mix the housing when revitalizing, but more often than not there are financial losses taken on the higher end housing in a mixed use neighborhood.
Maybe I am one of the few who chooses to live in a neighborhood like this? My parents built in the country to avoid neighbors, sprawling suburbs and strip malls don’t offer much community spirit either. Young people are leaving small towns in droves, are they looking for opportunities or anonymity? Service Clubs are dying for lack of new members and fewer community gathering places are being utilized.
Community is important to me, I need to feel a sense of it to really feel at home. But maybe it means more to me than other people, most people I know don’t know who their neighbors are – or care. Survey question now – how important is a sense of community to you?
Comments (76)
Did you do this in Sioux Falls? Delete this if you don’t want that city mentioned here. I have a friend who is promoting “Community Schools” as a concept and has now got Knoxville excited about it. http://www.communityschools.org/
To me, a sense of community is very impotant. But where I live that is not there. In the neighbourhod where I am now, does not have that sense of belonging, nor do most of the neighbours want to mingle. We may just nod and say hi but that’s it. But I love having a close knit neighbourhood as you said. You have weighed both cons well.
Well, I have a video of when I popped in to visit you guys…..I don’t know why I was booted from the neighborhood watch committee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLC1b8nUF74
@vexations - Good morning! Yes, I did it in Sioux Falls. That looks really cool! Is it taking off yet? I will have to follow that, because that is an exciting concept and could do so much. I will read it more and watch the vid after I have another cup of coffee
@angys_coco - Yes I understand that. I don’t feel comfortable in that type of place, really. I like to know my neighbors, know that if anything happened to any kid on their bike that any neighbor would step out of their home to help. You should move
Another cup of coffee for sure. They have one community school center going here and the results look good.
@Kellsbella - Well if you would have talked in your normal voice you would have been fine!
I haven’t experienced very much community in my life. I stick to my immediate familiy and my friends are rather loosely distributed. The closest I came to experiencing community was when i finally met all of my brothers friends. I tend to be a loner but I would like to experience community.
I wonder if the same points can apply to Xanga? Hmmm….
i have always wanted to live in a place where your next-door-neighbor was your best friend. i haven’t yet. but i do have nice people who will tell me if they’ve seen my little wanderer (when it takes her 45 minutes to walk a block home from school). my neighborhood is part permanent resident/part college student. and that’s that.
I think community is important!
It really makes your home even more of a home. Makes you feel safe & comfy!
I live in a Basement apartment. I’m surrounded by people that make me nervous. it sucks!
@PrisonerxOfxLove - I agree. I think we need nurturing environments to really be the best people we are able to be.
@lucylwrites - It’s a great feeling to have that sense of belonging, isn’t it? I hope you get to experience it someday and will be curious to see if you still prefer being a loner. Sometimes the only sense of community we can ever have is with our families and some people don’t even have that. It’s a shame, and I wish I could change the world.
@Shadowrunner81 - The same points can be applied to any community you want to be a part of, I think
@karoline1982 - Bah! I hope you find a better place soon! It’s no good being stuck in a place that makes you miserable.
@promisesunshine - I see, so you have a lot of turnover in your neighborhood which makes it tougher. At least Universities usually provide a lot of green space for you to enjoy.
i don’t think i would trust it.
@iones_island - That’s a little sad, because you are supposed to feel safe in your community, not wary. I am sure you aren’t alone though, if these types of neighborhoods were as perfect as I’d like them to be everyone would want to live there!
Community sense is the natural path for our social beings, saddly Western Culture have moved towards individuality an selfish goals and community requires an effort. Community means you sometimes have to put your own personal interests aside to search for a common goal and most people (looking for quik self gratification) doesn’t feel comfortable putting group’s priorities ahead of them.
I still live in a very traditional country but the sense of community is getting lost here too. Congrats on your great efforts! The benefits of a community go beyond what we can grasp
Exactly! I agree that it takes more selflessness and the ability to act sometimes for the greater good, which are values that aren’t emphasized here often enough. I hope to see it come back and flourish, for our country and yours!
Community is very important to me. I need people. I can’t do it all by myself. I use to think I could.
I live in an neighborhood with the same concept: close-knit communities with bike baths with trees and grass. These places are within walking distance to parks for kids with swings, slides and monkey bars. They’re also within walking distance to the community swimming pool (membership needed, small payment for non-members of the association).
The problem is, most neighbors don’t talk to each other, besides passing through their houses when getting the mail or driving through. Nobody is close to each other.
@Randy7777 - I can’t do it all alone, either.
@StupidSystemus - I know exactly what you mean. As a developer you can only do so much. You can build the right structures, launch the first meet and greets and block parties, but the rest is up to the residents. It’s funny, some of the best examples we studied of successful community living was in some of the lowest income areas in the nation. It’s almost as if people need to rely on other people for help and support before they will break out of their own worlds.
you don’t LOOK German. Are you? ethnic heritage I speak of. Because Germans are the largest ethnic minority in the USA, and they don’t have community, or hardly any. Most “Community feeling” comes from like minded same ethnic group neighborhoods. Otherwise it’s a bunch of bull. ”Human” is not a viable communitarian designation. So, really what you have been doing is what your education got you to buy into: elite know–it-all-ism. We will tell you the best way for you to live. That’s also what’s behind the UN’s and Hilary Clinton’s and the good ole USA’s push for worldwide abortion, contraceptives, and population genocide policies for the 3rd world. You almost surely have been educated to buy into that too. duh. University of Chicago, or any Brit influenced Ivy League, or wannabe ivy college is where u went. eh? nail ya? how could I do that? because I pay attention to what the Popes say, the Catholic Church, the ultimate community forming grassroots organization (by far) in the whole world, provides a totally different non-elitist diagnosis and solution to the human condition. get with it.
@mortimerZilch - As a matter of fact, I am an American from German heritage, but i fail to see the relevance.
I do support education, birth control, and freedom of choice. I do not believe that neighborhoods need to be separated by ethnic background. I do not support genocide. I use my education to try to help my community. I would never tell anyone how to live.
Churches do offer a sense of community. Often they work for the greater good of their members. There is nothing wrong with that at all. However, I did not develop or build churches, so I did not go into details about them.
Thank you for your input.
I feel no sense of community where I live. Those who know who to debate could easily prove that it is all my fault.
I don’t know–I am private in real life, a loner though married, and try to sip coffee alone at Starbucks, but so many keep inviting me to their tables to chat. People are friendly towards me when I shop. I feel more of me gets out in Xanga, but I am not a tell all kind of guy.
lol,
anyway, very thought provoking post. Of course, you are right on all points.
frank
@ANVRSADDAY - There’s nothing wrong with being private
. The next time someone invites you to chat, give it a try. They aren’t doing it to help you, they are doing it to enrich their own lives. You may be surprised at how much people like you!
Thank you for your kind words.
@BoulderChristina - Actually, I do join some people I know at Starbucks. They are always after me to sit with then. Gads, they are retired teachers, highly educated, are Holocaust survivors, and authors of published books. I am such a nothing–retried businessman, play Angry Birds, do Xanga, etc. I don’t read. I am always surprised. They seem to like my humor which my wife hates. lol
Oh well, I guess I have a complex, but they are much sharper brighter people than I would ever be. I feel honored to hear their amazing stories.
frank
@ANVRSADDAY - I am sure they are honored, too. Don’t sell yourself short, I would bug you to sit with me, too.
I don’t have that sense of community where I live. Mostly because my neighbors on both sides don’t get along well with my family…all because the neighbors think I’m a liar.
@BoulderChristina - pretty snooty response, considering I nailed you to the wall on about 5 major topics of concern. I think something like: “wow. how’d you do that? Tell me more I don’t know.” would be more apropos. But you are involved in a desperate struggle to preserve you right of superiority. You most certainly do tell others how to live, or even IF they can live. Well, maybe not you personally, but your mentors, those you admire and look up to and learn from and strive to emulate. I think you need to slam on the brakes and say to yourself, wow, this dude is all over my case, maybe he’s even right as rain. And then speak to me in a less shrewish tone, more straightforwardly, really caring for the Truth, instead of maintaining your enclave identity/status. please.
@xdeelynnx - I am sorry to hear that! I hope it gets straightened out and corrected so that you can build your community back.
@mortimerZilch - Many thoughts ran through my head as I read your comments, though most of them are inappropriate for this post. I am sure you are a clever one, however I am not here to discuss me or all the people I admire, I am only trying to speak of community.
Please refrain from responding until you have input regarding sense of community and not insightful ideas about my character.
I live in a small town but theres not much community here… well, maybe cause I never answer my door without a butcher knife. IDK
@ShimmerBodyCream - Haha, so YOU’RE the one the kids talk about at Halloween!
ok, how about this: as with an artist, or artisan, a social organizer can only produce out of WHO THEY ARE. Why seek to artificially manage/manufacture “community” when the basis for that are present in the people whom you seek to organize? Or, what principles do you use as core operating principles?
I have a great tool for organizing community. It is rather difficult to explain in a blog post, and there aren’t any books I can refer to…but, Chistina, (nice name) do you have a community center? And what goes on there? Who administrates that? And what principles does it use for operation? I think that the primary operating dicta should be” 1) Peaceful interaction of members; 2) Constructive results based on the members needs as expressed by the members; 3) involvement based on both financial contribution of the members/owners, and work input by the members/owners. In other words I don’t think you can run programs on them. The Community organizer has to help the members run their own programs, which means offering them ownership of the TOOL that is being used to organize them. A CO-OP corporation, with stock issued based on amount of work contributed and/or money contributed. It is expected that the owners will reap financial profit from their work/investment in the organizational TOOL, aka, the community center/community MAKING center. This is guaranteed to work. I have seen it more than once. It grows like an amoeba, and will split off into franchise-able groups that start their own centers, i,e, take the skill and knowledge and take the tool to another location to watch it grow. However, people don’t like this model. Because it doesn’t serve the Establishment. It is a new thing that exploits the people’s will by empowering them to do as THEY CHOOSE, instead of exploiting the people’s will to serve the interests of those who KNOW BETTER – aka. your ilk. And it’s a lot more fun, more dynamic, and more meaningful. cf. It’s legal name is a Trusteeship Cooperative.
@mortimerZilch - Great answer! You are right, the purpose of the community organizer is to put the community management into the residents’ hands. That is what we (my ilk) strive for. We have no desire to run meetings, create agendas, or babysit their day to day neighborhood needs. We empower the neighborhood leaders to grow, manage and operate their own communities. We have other things to do.
I am such an introvert, even with growing up in an era where your doors and windows were left unlocked and neighbors says “howdy” as they were walking in your front door. In the 70′s it was the same. I knew everybody in my apartment complex and they knew me. I had longevity in places. Hated moving. Now days, I prefer to keep to myself. I don’t easily get close to people, but have tried to reach out to the neighbor below (the ‘pop out door’ neighbor) just a little. Otherwise, I’m still getting familiar with the little community I’m in. Not always a good thing, especially as you get older. But it tis the way I am. *smile…
Enjoyed the blog, my dear. It does make sense…
@MzSilver - I understand that, I am a bit of an introvert myself. But I would rather be an introvert in a community that knows me and would call 911 if funny smells came from my place than in a place where nobody knew I existed, I guess. Maybe it’s because I feel I need support from other people, who knows.
If I were your neighbor though, you know I would be a class A pain in the ass. I would be popping over for wine and giggling far too often.
@BoulderChristina - In your case, your visits would be more than welcome. That would be a whole other ball game. No matter where I go in the complex, ol’ folks be complaining about aches, pains or their last or soon to be surgery. I need laughter and energizing conversation. I don’t play cards or bingo. I would rather be outdoors or curled up with a good book. I’m not Scrooge by any means and I suspect folks would open up if I let em. I think I’m still trying to figure things out over here. Especially since I spent the last almost 7 years in a bubble with my Ex. His world was my world and I loved almost all of it. Now I’m out here on my own. It’s a whole other world indeed.
it is NOT fun when the only entertainment is to watch others fail- soon enough it’s one’s own turn. however, it is annoying when community is a dirty word for outright usery.
@starmanjones - I agree, that isn’t a community I would want to be part of, either.
It would be nice to have that. When we moved here, the development was new and there weren’t very many houses here yet. A few couples used to get together to do stuff and some of us ladies would go out once in awhile. However, the bigger the neighborhood got, the less often we got together. Then, a lot of them moved away and Hub and I were left here among a bunch of people with kids. We don’t have kids, and now, we’re older than most of the people here! Hopefully, when we retire, we can find a neighborhood for old farts so we can blend in!
@BoulderChristina - :) thankfully those situations explode rather swiftly and it’s back to bbq and actually happy to see a neighbor poke their hed out for a howdy. you know? it tends to work out better to have a community than a standoff
curious red pink or white? boxwine and listen to weezer or the high class of glass? import or domestic? what kind of wine?
Theoretically I like community but I like privacy and solitude more. I have always felt awkward socializing with neighbors beyond simple hellos. The most community I have ever felt has been through workplaces and sometimes schools, where togetherness is sort of forced on us and some I the awkwardness of introductions are done away with.
Also I love the xanga community, and feel as though I belong here. Mostly.
I have deep sense of loss of community. the only thing I miss about when I was a Christian is the sense of community, so many people knowing each other, pot luck dinners, checking up on one another, helping, etc.
I miss how our family used to get together for dinners every so often, but not anymore.
block parties or cook outs would be wonderful, and neighborhood watches, etc.
have you gone back to check on how those communities are doing, now?
@whyzat - I know just what you mean. It is hard when there is a lot of turnover in the neighborhood. My children are grown and gone, too, and sometimes I feel like the old fart in my neighborhood, too.
@starmanjones - I’m a red wine girl, myself!
@leaflesstree - As long as you have a community somewhere, that’s all that matters
@plantinthewindow - I miss small town get togethers, so I can really relate. There is a huge sense of loss when you leave that community behind, isn’t there?
I see community on several levels, but the important thing is to CONNECT. By avoiding other people, one gets dissociated even from oneself, after awhile. Even while traveling, and staying most places just for one night, I need to show an appropriate measure of love and concern for those I encounter. Here at home, I am grateful for the people around me- in my neighborhood, around town and in my faith community.
@RighteousBruin - I agree, connection is key. I have seen you connect even in your travels, it is one of the things you do best
@plantinthewindow - I missed your last question, and yes, I go back once a year or so. The newest development they named the main street after my daughter, so I will always revisit.
One of the areas we attempted to revitalize is floundering a little, but the others are still solid.
i think what you’ve done is great. community is important but there is a double-edged sword. at the end of my senior year in high school i traveled to Europe with the All-Nation choir. i was a tenor in the choir. one girl in the choir told a bunch of us how great i was to get out of her small Oklahoma town and her dream was to leave for good someday. the reason is a common one. everyone was in everyone else’s business.
i watched a segment on 60 Minutes a few months ago about which countries have the happiest populations. across the board those countries had abundances of public squares where people can hang out outside or at cafes. i found it interesting and i could relate to why that is.
again it’s great you’re involved in this. i found community in every neighborhood in NYC i’ve lived in.
and a mini because of what you’ve done.
holy crap it’s a diabolical community organizer we must have her lynched!
i understand community and have one but find that i still tend to feel very isolated at times. but i’m working on changing that.
@TheSutraDude - Ah, thank you for the mini! I agree with 60 minutes, downtown squares, outdoor cafes and walking outdoor malls are a great way to watch people, meet people, and feel part of a bigger community. I also agree about people being up in your business, I don’t think you can have one without the other.
@DivaJyoti - Haha, diabolical is key! I’m coming for your souls… Bwahaha
@bluezenith - It is easy to feel isolated, even when technology offers us so many ways to connect. I feel that way sometimes, myself.
I would love to live somewhere with that sense of community, we’ve lost that in America. I never realized what we were missing until I moved here….people here work together and really take care of each other. At home everyone just isolates themselves as much as possible.
How many times have you sent a text instead of actually calling someone?? Personal interaction has gone down the drain and a lot of other good things have gone with it.
@wretched_epiphany - I know, we are not big into connections here in America, but I think that trend is ending. People need each other, especially through the rough times. I hope we don’t lose any progress we make towards community when things start picking back up.
Where are you now?
@BoulderChristina - :) I like a lil red too – are you the merlot, caernet sauvignon, malbec, burgundy chianti, passover wine bordeaux or a die voilaof another style? personally I like a sweeter red bright like cabernet which makes fine with bison and vanilla bean ( and the trinity plus smokey spannishparika which mzsilver’ll say no thanks to I just know it pouts bubble bubble alll day checking for water… voila “borguignon”
Community, people helping one another, are these dreams or reality? I dont see it very often, not around where I live. My “community” consists of gossipy bullies who do nothing more than bad mouth all who do not fit into their ideal term of neighbor, turning innocent people into social pariahs for no good reason.
Is community important to me? Depends. Are they going to treat me with respect, or are they going to try to pry their way into my personal business in an attempt to hurt me?
If its the former, than yes.
If the latter… Id rather live alone in the woods.
I like your objectives. I would love to live in a place with a sense of community.
I thought you might be interested in this photo about the community schools movement in Knoxville.
http://www.knoxnews.com/photos/2012/may/30/224503/
What is with that previous comment by this loon? @mortimerZilch . . . does s/he serious consider the Catholic Church as the answer to the world’s problems…. in my book they are a big part of the world’s problems.
@godsmythandlegend - That can happen, can’t it? Community has to be one where you feel safe and valued, and you can’t feel that way without being respected.
@black_lie - Thank you!
@vexations - That is so cool, really. Thank you for sharing that with me. And about that guy? He’s a little off I think.
I live in a small town that sits on the side of the river Mississippi. This is an absolutely beautiful communnity. Almost every one knows the other person and feels and shares the joys and pains of all the people here. In my book that is coming out in the near future (hopefully), I have talked about just that…this community and the town and her people.
Thank you for doing what you do.
I think the need for a 2 income family basically killed the community.
No one has the time, or the energy, any more.
did you forget to mention the importance of the dog to the community in general? aw well, that’s ok, I know you meant to, lick.
@ZSA_MD - I can’t wait to read it!
@Bricker59 - You know, I agree.
@NewDog2 - I assumed that was obvious, but you are right. I should have pointed it out – they are essential!