Fostering Community Through Design
by Brad Smith, AICP, PLA, ASLA
NEIGHBORLY CONNECTIONS
When we downsized our home and moved to Ocala, we moved into a rental home just outside of the Historic District while the 1938 bungalow we purchased was being renovated. Turns out our neighbor, Linda, moved into her newly renovated bungalow next door to our rental home on the same day we moved in. These older homes don’t have garages; our parking spaces were right next to Linda’s. We frequently had chance meetings in our driveways and used those occasions to become acquainted. That led to us inviting her over for dinner. Then, she reciprocated. During Hurricane Irma, Linda’s power came on a day or so before ours did; she graciously allowed us to run an extension cord to her house so we had power to the refrigerator. Pretty soon, we discovered we were becoming dear friends. Later, even after we moved into the renovated bungalow 6 blocks away, the dinner get-togethers continued, until she moved away to be nearer to her daughter and grandchild.
My story serves as a familiar example of how design can foster a deep sense of community among residents of a neighborhood. The proximity of our driveways and the distance between our houses contributed to the development of our relationship with Linda. In Disney’s planned community of Celebration (FL), the placement of the front porches in close proximity to the sidewalk, elevated so that passing pedestrians were at eye level with porch-sitters was quite intentional. The design is conducive to striking up a conversation when one of those chance encounters occur.
We’ve planned neighborhoods in an Active Adult 55+ community similarly, but with porches abutting shared open space and “parklets”. Encouraging the development of a strong sense of community is one of our core values – an essential component of our PLACE acronym. Everyone wants to have a sense of belonging. In fact, Andrew Maslow included that in his Hierarchy of Needs.
ENGAGEMENT & CONNECTIONS
This is as true in the workplace as it is in residential communities – people want to feel like they are valued, and that their work matters and has purpose and meaning. When the team is on the same page and experiencing a sense of camaraderie and connection, great things can be accomplished together.
Sarah Nagel, a Community Manager for Sprout Social, offers some insights about building and maintaining a community that is thoughtful, meaningful, and engaged through her 8 Tips to Foster Community Loyalty:
Make Community Members Feel Included
Always Cater to New Members
Enable and Impassion Community Champions
Single Out Members
Help Individuals Achieve a Goal or Dream
Enable the Community to Connect with Each Other*
Always Keep a Non-Zero-Sum Game in Mind
Host Events
*Number 6 is the one we focus on through the planning and design of physical spaces. We like to think of it as building a stage on which the play of human interaction can be performed.
COMMUNITY TOOLBOX
A great resource is The Community Tool Box, a service of the Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas. Check it out. There is a great video from the Urban Land Institute about Building Healthy Corridors, and how they can better serve their adjacent neighborhoods. Here are what they list as 4 Basic Characteristics of Places for Interaction:
There has to be a reason for people to go there
There has to be a reason for people to want to stay once they’ve arrived
People in the space have to feel safe and comfortable
The space has to be welcoming and accessible to everyone
These are the principles we strive for as we practice the art and science of PLACE-Creation.