Amongst our suburbs, neighborhoods and dwelling units, do any of you feel a connection? What does community mean to you? What are the best examples of this conveyed architectually?
nope. live in a large apartment building, and we all basically do our best to avoid one another, but say hi and smile if we do get caught out at the mailboxes. I don't even know the faces of most of my neighbors- we won't even open the front door for each other, because whomever's on the inside is standing there going, "does this person trying to get in live here? I don't know if I've seen them before..."
I am getting to know my neighbors pretty well considering I don't actually live in my house yet; we're doing renovation before we move in (four weeks yikes!). But I have a toddler, and we hung a swing in a tree in the front yard, which makes it quite easy to come by and introduce yourself. I marched over to the next door neighbors to introduce myself as soon as we closed on the house.
I also had a funny Desperate Housewives moment when I was speaking with my very tall and good-looking flooring contractor on the front porch - a tight-tank-top wearing woman from up the street came by to meet me, then quite eagerly turned and introduced herself to my contactor asking "And are YOU my new neighbor too?!"
If she sees my wonderful husband and gives him the same greeting, well, there might be a catfight on my own little version of Wisteria Lane!
perhaps j, you are not part of a neighborhood community because you dont want to be part of a neighborhood community...
i live on the south side of chicago, in bridgeport, there is a pretty strong sense of community here because there is a solid balance of owners and renters, small diners, and stores, local stuff... and lots of kids... though i dont know my neighbors by name yet, i recognize most of them, and even walking to sox games, you start seeing the same faces, and if you care enough to nod or say hello and recognize themy, they will return the gesture.
i will agree with steven wards, jane jacobs book death and life of great american cities is a great look at what makes neighborhoods work. Her points are so clear and common sense, i would like to hear arguments against her brand of urbanism.
"Good fences make for good neighbors" Robert Frost (paraphrased)
When I built my house, I thought maybe having a low fence might be a nice gesture since my neighbors door is about 30" from it. BIG MISTAKE! Now some of the guys tenants (who are nice, but occasionally pretty loud) use my yard as an ash tray. Had I put up a nice 6' or 8' fence this would not be a problem. But what they hell, thats livin in the city for you.
Has anyone seen the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode where Larry David is walking through his neighborhood and tosses and apple core in his neighbors trash and the neighbor almost kicks his ass?
At my girlfriend's condo building, someone was going to walk in right behind me, and I paused and asked if they could show me their keys.
They didn't have any, so I said that I couldn't let them in. Moved my head towards them quickly like I was going to deliver a headbutt. They stepped back and I had enough room to quickly shut the door.
And best part - I don't even live there!!
But I have keys, and that's all that matters.
I recently (less than 2 months ago) moved to a small suburban area inside of the monster that is Orlando, FL. The place that I live, Bonneville, is as more of a community than any suburb I have lived in.
The streets are playgrounds for an abundance of red-neck children...
the front lawns indicate the hobbies or personal interests of the residents. One front lawn has a monster truck on it, another has a pontoon boat, a few with bass-fishing boats, another with a fully furnished livingroom (on the front lawn, complete with couch, table and toys), etc...
I feel community here for a number of reasons. For one, it has a very specific / personal character. It is identifiable, spatially and characteristically differentiated from the typical cookie-cutter suburb. There are a variety of housing types, whether single family home with yard, duplex, trailor etc. within the Bonneville area..and our very own Circle K! This place is very southern, but unlike much of Florida, it is genuine/not superficial/not in denial.
I know my neighbors. We have dinner parties, weekend bbqs in the street, genuine interaction ala Hannah Arendt/The Human Condition...
my neighbor above me is never there. my neighbor above her doesn't like my music, and does not like me. she is a bitch. my neigbor in the building next to mine does his vocal exercises (opera) with his door open. he is cool. the bitch hates him. i think drugs are sold in the building across from me. different people constantly in and out. they haven't robbed me yet though, so i don't care. i don't know anyone's name, and for some reason none of them think i live there as i am constantly asked, do you live here by them and the maintenance man.
I know most of my building neighboors, some of them being really good friends of mine. The boss of the bar at the corner is a friend of mine too. I have friendly relations with most of the shop owners and sellers in the hood (butcher, boulanger, grocery store...). That's the advantage of a popular neighborhood in a big and old european city. Probably nothing in common with the typical suburban-american life, but what do I know.
I miss my childhood neighborhood at times. Mostly for the weird things that would go on.
This one family always pulled their 4 year old daughter around the block in a rusty Red Flyer wagon, and the little girl was always naked. ALWAYS.
I was a bit older, maybe 7, but I always thought, that's probably not that good for her genitalia, while of course not even really knowing what constituted that section of female anatomy.
She'd get up and run around other people's yards. I remember her family being kind of redneckish, I did hang out with their older son a few times at their house.
The house across the street from me was the best thought. Not, once, but twice, two seperate children were playing in the car and put it in gear or turned it on and, in seperate incidents, one drove it straight through the back wall of the garage into the backyard, and the other one backed it up through the garage door.
The daughter also used to lay in the gutters after it had rained and let water rush into her mouth.
I swear on a Bible I'm not making this up!
North Richland Hills Texas, early 80s. Good times indeed.
Jul 26, 05 1:27 pm ·
·
I've lived on the same block since 1957, and I've found that connections come and go as each year goes by. My immediate next door neighbor has been the same person all these years, so Jean and I definitely have a connection. In the 'old days' there were a number of close relatives also living on my block, so there was a real connection there. Right now I love how most of my black neighbors call me "Mr. Steve" and I'm sure virtually all my neighbors actually wonder what the hell I'm still doing here.
Before the "white man" came, the valley I live in was a sacred burial place. There's no record of this, I just feel it. I can still remember when Diane moved here (she's the one that started "Mr. Steve"), she right away mentioned how quiet the street is. I said, "Yeah, it's always been quiet." I didn't tell her why though.
There are a total of six apartments that share the same stairwell here.
First floor (really one above street level): A saxophone player with ADD and the same hairdo as Crusty the Clown, only it's red and not turqoise, and in the other apartment there's a cute girl who dances ballet.
Second Floor: A male economics student with a really bad attitude problem and one paranoid, depressed/depressing male banker and his 10 y.o. son.
Third Floor: Myself and a girl who paints, work in her father's art gallery and drives a pretty nice little red Alfa Romeo.
I have, for various reasons, made it a priority only to get to know the two girls.
Leaving: large apt. complex, strong community for pool going right-out-of-school crowd, I've never felt at 'home' here
Moving into: just bought a nice loft, small building (13 units), courtyard, great neighbors(so far)
Never cared to be part of a neighborhood community, but it'd be nice with nice people that have similar interests. So far it's good - everybody drinks a bunch! That's always good for neighborly friendships.
I'll be moving soon. From my apt in the $450k median house price neighborhood to a condo in a neighborhood I can actually afford. Never felt any community in my old apt. complex even though it's loaded up with low income families all there for the school district. When I was touring my new condo for the first time everyone was asking if I was moving in and all said they would love to see me living there. I was surprised people actually took the time to say hello. I think it's a complete owner vs. renter thing.
Jul 26, 05 1:55 pm ·
·
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Do you know your neighbors?
Amongst our suburbs, neighborhoods and dwelling units, do any of you feel a connection? What does community mean to you? What are the best examples of this conveyed architectually?
in my urban neighborhood, yes, i personally feel connected.
how to feel part of a community: you get what you give.
physical embodiment of community: sidewalks.
start with jane jacobs, then maybe margaret crawford. richard sennett is good, too. this is a HUGE topic.
nope. live in a large apartment building, and we all basically do our best to avoid one another, but say hi and smile if we do get caught out at the mailboxes. I don't even know the faces of most of my neighbors- we won't even open the front door for each other, because whomever's on the inside is standing there going, "does this person trying to get in live here? I don't know if I've seen them before..."
I am getting to know my neighbors pretty well considering I don't actually live in my house yet; we're doing renovation before we move in (four weeks yikes!). But I have a toddler, and we hung a swing in a tree in the front yard, which makes it quite easy to come by and introduce yourself. I marched over to the next door neighbors to introduce myself as soon as we closed on the house.
I also had a funny Desperate Housewives moment when I was speaking with my very tall and good-looking flooring contractor on the front porch - a tight-tank-top wearing woman from up the street came by to meet me, then quite eagerly turned and introduced herself to my contactor asking "And are YOU my new neighbor too?!"
If she sees my wonderful husband and gives him the same greeting, well, there might be a catfight on my own little version of Wisteria Lane!
perhaps j, you are not part of a neighborhood community because you dont want to be part of a neighborhood community...
i live on the south side of chicago, in bridgeport, there is a pretty strong sense of community here because there is a solid balance of owners and renters, small diners, and stores, local stuff... and lots of kids... though i dont know my neighbors by name yet, i recognize most of them, and even walking to sox games, you start seeing the same faces, and if you care enough to nod or say hello and recognize themy, they will return the gesture.
i will agree with steven wards, jane jacobs book death and life of great american cities is a great look at what makes neighborhoods work. Her points are so clear and common sense, i would like to hear arguments against her brand of urbanism.
"Good fences make for good neighbors" Robert Frost (paraphrased)
When I built my house, I thought maybe having a low fence might be a nice gesture since my neighbors door is about 30" from it. BIG MISTAKE! Now some of the guys tenants (who are nice, but occasionally pretty loud) use my yard as an ash tray. Had I put up a nice 6' or 8' fence this would not be a problem. But what they hell, thats livin in the city for you.
Has anyone seen the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode where Larry David is walking through his neighborhood and tosses and apple core in his neighbors trash and the neighbor almost kicks his ass?
Fucking Hilarious.
At my girlfriend's condo building, someone was going to walk in right behind me, and I paused and asked if they could show me their keys.
They didn't have any, so I said that I couldn't let them in. Moved my head towards them quickly like I was going to deliver a headbutt. They stepped back and I had enough room to quickly shut the door.
And best part - I don't even live there!!
But I have keys, and that's all that matters.
I second Richard Sennett...
I recently (less than 2 months ago) moved to a small suburban area inside of the monster that is Orlando, FL. The place that I live, Bonneville, is as more of a community than any suburb I have lived in.
The streets are playgrounds for an abundance of red-neck children...
the front lawns indicate the hobbies or personal interests of the residents. One front lawn has a monster truck on it, another has a pontoon boat, a few with bass-fishing boats, another with a fully furnished livingroom (on the front lawn, complete with couch, table and toys), etc...
I feel community here for a number of reasons. For one, it has a very specific / personal character. It is identifiable, spatially and characteristically differentiated from the typical cookie-cutter suburb. There are a variety of housing types, whether single family home with yard, duplex, trailor etc. within the Bonneville area..and our very own Circle K! This place is very southern, but unlike much of Florida, it is genuine/not superficial/not in denial.
I know my neighbors. We have dinner parties, weekend bbqs in the street, genuine interaction ala Hannah Arendt/The Human Condition...
my neighbor above me is never there. my neighbor above her doesn't like my music, and does not like me. she is a bitch. my neigbor in the building next to mine does his vocal exercises (opera) with his door open. he is cool. the bitch hates him. i think drugs are sold in the building across from me. different people constantly in and out. they haven't robbed me yet though, so i don't care. i don't know anyone's name, and for some reason none of them think i live there as i am constantly asked, do you live here by them and the maintenance man.
i love the fact that I can stumble home drunk from my neighbor's apartment
I know most of my building neighboors, some of them being really good friends of mine. The boss of the bar at the corner is a friend of mine too. I have friendly relations with most of the shop owners and sellers in the hood (butcher, boulanger, grocery store...). That's the advantage of a popular neighborhood in a big and old european city. Probably nothing in common with the typical suburban-american life, but what do I know.
I'm moving into a studio apartment in September here in Chicago, and luckily managed to get another first floor apartment with only a basement below.
It really sucks to have a surround sound system's subwoofer pumping into a neighboors roof, so I'm glad no one is below me.
I miss my childhood neighborhood at times. Mostly for the weird things that would go on.
This one family always pulled their 4 year old daughter around the block in a rusty Red Flyer wagon, and the little girl was always naked. ALWAYS.
I was a bit older, maybe 7, but I always thought, that's probably not that good for her genitalia, while of course not even really knowing what constituted that section of female anatomy.
She'd get up and run around other people's yards. I remember her family being kind of redneckish, I did hang out with their older son a few times at their house.
The house across the street from me was the best thought. Not, once, but twice, two seperate children were playing in the car and put it in gear or turned it on and, in seperate incidents, one drove it straight through the back wall of the garage into the backyard, and the other one backed it up through the garage door.
The daughter also used to lay in the gutters after it had rained and let water rush into her mouth.
I swear on a Bible I'm not making this up!
North Richland Hills Texas, early 80s. Good times indeed.
I've lived on the same block since 1957, and I've found that connections come and go as each year goes by. My immediate next door neighbor has been the same person all these years, so Jean and I definitely have a connection. In the 'old days' there were a number of close relatives also living on my block, so there was a real connection there. Right now I love how most of my black neighbors call me "Mr. Steve" and I'm sure virtually all my neighbors actually wonder what the hell I'm still doing here.
Before the "white man" came, the valley I live in was a sacred burial place. There's no record of this, I just feel it. I can still remember when Diane moved here (she's the one that started "Mr. Steve"), she right away mentioned how quiet the street is. I said, "Yeah, it's always been quiet." I didn't tell her why though.
There are a total of six apartments that share the same stairwell here.
First floor (really one above street level): A saxophone player with ADD and the same hairdo as Crusty the Clown, only it's red and not turqoise, and in the other apartment there's a cute girl who dances ballet.
Second Floor: A male economics student with a really bad attitude problem and one paranoid, depressed/depressing male banker and his 10 y.o. son.
Third Floor: Myself and a girl who paints, work in her father's art gallery and drives a pretty nice little red Alfa Romeo.
I have, for various reasons, made it a priority only to get to know the two girls.
Leaving: large apt. complex, strong community for pool going right-out-of-school crowd, I've never felt at 'home' here
Moving into: just bought a nice loft, small building (13 units), courtyard, great neighbors(so far)
Never cared to be part of a neighborhood community, but it'd be nice with nice people that have similar interests. So far it's good - everybody drinks a bunch! That's always good for neighborly friendships.
I'll be moving soon. From my apt in the $450k median house price neighborhood to a condo in a neighborhood I can actually afford. Never felt any community in my old apt. complex even though it's loaded up with low income families all there for the school district. When I was touring my new condo for the first time everyone was asking if I was moving in and all said they would love to see me living there. I was surprised people actually took the time to say hello. I think it's a complete owner vs. renter thing.
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