Do you feel attached to your community?

I've been slowly reading a book by James Howard Kunstler called, 'The Geography of Nowhere'. In the book the author describes the current state of suburbanized America, urban sprawl, and the sense of "placelessness" that exists in communities across this country and how we got here.

He explains why we have a nation that looks like this...







Rather than this...







So the question is, do you feel a sense of attachment to your community? Do you feel that our community offers something unique to it's members or does it look just like every other town in the region of the country you inhabit?

no...i did when i live in toronto, but now i live in the horrible burbs.

why?

because people tell me it's better for my kid.

(i'm an idiot)

michael1111 wrote:

no...i did when i lived in toronto, but now i live in the horrible burbs.

why?

because people tell me it's better for my kid.

(i'm an idiot)

Welcome aboard the ship of fools we call the "American Dream".

Yes. I see it up close and personal because of what I do for a living. Besides I live in an old neighborhood where no two houses are alike. And just a couple of blocks away is an almost bohemian business district with a coffee shop with avant garde art work, a bike shop, restaurants with live music, etc... So must of the people that live in this area walk.

Sounds like a nice area.

For years, critics of austere Modernism have complained about the single-minded emphasis on the efficiencies of specialization and the utilities of isolation. In this new century (a post-post-modern era) I see a tendency back toward accepting less economic efficiency in order to obtain more social integrity. But we still have a long way to go before US cities look anything like the images you posted of Old Europe.

Raising children in dense urban communities does present its challenges. But the sense of fermenting neighborhood and comprehensive community was left behind in the rush to the remote, sterile suburbs. Maybe the rise of the New Urbanism movement will help to restore both in-urbs and sub-urbs to "somewhere" you'd want to raise your kids---and work, and shop, and play, and socialize and all the other aspects of community, within walking distance.

Yeah, hopefully gnomon's right, that would be cool.

I live in the heart of T.O., so got lots of unique neighbourhoods!

Yeah but i never felt that way before i moved to Toronto and i've lived in quite a few places. It's a really warm, vibrant city that is easy to be part and proud of. Although i know a lot of people don't feel that way...i've noticed that the bigger the city, the more people are inclined to detach themselves from their sense of community and responsibility...a mentality that assumes reckless behaviour and selfishness will go unnoticed, like pissing in a community swimming pool rather than a community bathtub. There's always someone else to clean up your mess. Whereas a small community doesn't have to put up with so much bullshit, so in that respect raising kids in these communities has its upside...and i would probably do the same thing if it were any other city than Toronto. People here are well behaved, the crime rate is extremely low...great place to grow up imo.

Hi Duncan.

I think many megalopolises suffer from the same "lack of place" as many suburbs and exburbs. They also often suffer from architectural scales that are inhuman. Like you said, when it comes to some of these huge cities people are more likely to withdraw. The neighborhood is probably the ideal scale of development for the fostering of community.

Greetings Duncan!

Thanks for the weclome guys
I just recently found out Aaron has a website from michael's forum....and it's great, kudos man!

Duncan wrote:

Thanks for the weclome guys
I just recently found out Aaron has a website from michael's forum....and it's great, kudos man!

Thanks.