I have experienced a similar thing in Colorado (used to live in a far-out suburb of Denver) and now Minnesota where I currently live. You wonder where all the people have gone! In the middle of a sunny weekend day, you know people are home, but it's a ghost town.
We seem to be lacking community resources and gathering places that create reasons for people to be outside. One very helpful community design element in the neighborhood we just moved into (Chanhassen, MN) is that none of the houses in our neighborhood have fences. We are located near lakes and wetlands, and they have a rule for no fences to allow wildlife to move around. It also facilitates humans being able to see each other, and gather.
Just yesterday, we saw our neighbors (who also have kids) outside and had an impromptu gathering as a result. This has happened often with various neighbors. Our last neighborhood was completely divided by fences around each house plot, and it was much harder to make connections impromptu. It felt very desolate even though we KNEW people were home a lot.
Not unlike what happens in open-office concept workplaces with well-designed gathering spaces.
Thanks for sharing, Ravi. Yes, I can see where fences could further emphasis the 'this is MINE, that is YOURS' mentality. I suppose doggies are a big reason people put up fences, but even dogs are sometimes purchased to keep people away!
I think corner stores and small cafes, bakeries, and coffee shops would go a long way toward bringing people out of their houses. But, unfortunately, they require more density than what single family homes can provide to be financially viable and it would require unpopular zoning changes. (though, if people are ok with Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) they should be ok with Commercial Dwelling Units (CDUs) like selling cider, muffins, donuts, or coffee out of your garage!)
It's also hard to compete with nearby commercial centers cities and planners favor. These concentrated shopping (and thus concentrated revenue sources) attract big names corporations making it hard for neighborhood mom-n-pop shops to compete. But they only perpetuate car addiction.
In other countries it's common to see mini versions of larger grocers tucked in small spaces, but they tend to be surrounded by dense housing (i.e. customers). To achieve this in traditional American suburbia, I advocate for more duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, and small apartment complexes intermixed with single family homes. It would create the needed density to attract shops without zoning for massive developments. But until developers find them profitable OR cities require them to be built (which most city councils oppose) we're stuck. Oh, and our screen addictions don't help!
I have experienced a similar thing in Colorado (used to live in a far-out suburb of Denver) and now Minnesota where I currently live. You wonder where all the people have gone! In the middle of a sunny weekend day, you know people are home, but it's a ghost town.
We seem to be lacking community resources and gathering places that create reasons for people to be outside. One very helpful community design element in the neighborhood we just moved into (Chanhassen, MN) is that none of the houses in our neighborhood have fences. We are located near lakes and wetlands, and they have a rule for no fences to allow wildlife to move around. It also facilitates humans being able to see each other, and gather.
Just yesterday, we saw our neighbors (who also have kids) outside and had an impromptu gathering as a result. This has happened often with various neighbors. Our last neighborhood was completely divided by fences around each house plot, and it was much harder to make connections impromptu. It felt very desolate even though we KNEW people were home a lot.
Not unlike what happens in open-office concept workplaces with well-designed gathering spaces.
Thanks for sharing, Ravi. Yes, I can see where fences could further emphasis the 'this is MINE, that is YOURS' mentality. I suppose doggies are a big reason people put up fences, but even dogs are sometimes purchased to keep people away!
I think corner stores and small cafes, bakeries, and coffee shops would go a long way toward bringing people out of their houses. But, unfortunately, they require more density than what single family homes can provide to be financially viable and it would require unpopular zoning changes. (though, if people are ok with Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) they should be ok with Commercial Dwelling Units (CDUs) like selling cider, muffins, donuts, or coffee out of your garage!)
It's also hard to compete with nearby commercial centers cities and planners favor. These concentrated shopping (and thus concentrated revenue sources) attract big names corporations making it hard for neighborhood mom-n-pop shops to compete. But they only perpetuate car addiction.
In other countries it's common to see mini versions of larger grocers tucked in small spaces, but they tend to be surrounded by dense housing (i.e. customers). To achieve this in traditional American suburbia, I advocate for more duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, and small apartment complexes intermixed with single family homes. It would create the needed density to attract shops without zoning for massive developments. But until developers find them profitable OR cities require them to be built (which most city councils oppose) we're stuck. Oh, and our screen addictions don't help!