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Community Building Just About Anyone Can Do

Strengthen neighborhoods and pride of place by setting up more public spaces — even small, temporary ones can make a big difference

Vanessa Brunner October 5, 2013

Houzz Contributor

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Whether you live in a diverse urban neighborhood or a quiet, tree-lined suburb, connecting with your neighbors to build a sense of community can be difficult. It's easy to blame the people who live around you — or even yourself — but the cause is often bigger than that. Sometimes it's the neighborhood itself and its lack of public space that prevent you and others from connecting.

Here we'll show you how to change your neighborhood to create a sense of community.

Traditional Exterior by Ben Herzog

The Importance of Public Spaces

Public spaces allow neighbors to socialize and connect, whether they're playing with their dogs at a beach, watching children's soccer games at a field or playing chess at tables in the park. "You share your streets, your parks, your sidewalks with your neighbors," says Brendan Crain, communications manager at Project for Public Spaces. "You're bumping up against each other and interacting. That builds community."

A lack of usable public space limits opportunities to meet other people in the community. But if that's the case in your neighborhood, the good news is that there's a simple solution: defining or building public spaces based on your neighborhood's needs.

Traditional Exterior by Union Studio, Architecture & Community Design

Union Studio, Architecture & Community Design

Placemaking

The more useful, relevant public spaces that exist, the more likely it is that people will use them together. That leads to shared moments and relationships.

Urban planners often refer to this process as placemaking. It's based on finding and developing a neighborhood's collective vision for a public space. Placemaking reexamines everyday spaces — streets, sidewalks, empty parking lots — through the eyes of the people who use them every single day. But does it work?

by cityrepair.org

cityrepair.org

Many organizations across the United States have brought the idea of placemaking to neighborhoods. In Portland, Oregon, City Repair gathers groups of residents to build around or beautify dilapidated intersections. Sometimes they paint the street, turn an empty lot into a garden or set up a free library. The colorfully painted intersection here, in Portland's St. Johns neighborhood, has beautified the street and encourages drivers to slow down.

Before Photo

by Matthew Mazzotta

Matthew Mazzotta

Without a public gathering space, the citizens of York, Alabama, felt disconnected from one another. Artist Matthew Mazzotta worked with the town to turn a dilapidated old house into a new unfolding outdoor theater where the entire community can congregate.

See more about this project

Victorian Exterior by Schwartz and Architecture

Schwartz and Architecture

Temporary Placemaking

Of course, there's a difference between seeing the need for a public space and having the ability to create it. Raising money and going through local government channels can seem intimidating, so many residents implement temporary placemaking ideas.

by parkingday.org

parkingday.org

Park(ing) Day is one example. It started in San Francisco but has spread to cities around the country. Every year on September 19, people around the U.S. put quarters in local parking meters, reserving spaces all day and creating little parks for people to enjoy. The concept shows what can be done with existing street spaces and alternative ways people can use them.

In San Francisco the program has resulted in the development of parklets across the city through the Pavement to Parks program.

See more parklets in our Design Lover's guide to San Francisco

by betterblock.org

betterblock.org

The Better Block, based in Texas, reinvents public streets into an event or gathering space for a single weekend, highlighting its potential for residents and local lawmakers. Here an empty stretch of street in Wichita, Kansas, became a modern parklet with a bike path.

Calling attention to a public space reveals the need to improve it. This doesn't have to involve a ton of work, either: Placemaking can mean things like having a knitting club meet in an underdeveloped park, throwing a concert in the street or hosting a small craft fair in a quiet alley. "This is especially effective in areas that are underutilized," says Brendan Crain of Project for Public Spaces. "Even if it's an awkward fit, you're calling the community's attention to it."

by betterblock.org

betterblock.org

What You Can Do

Take some ownership of your neighborhood. Placemaking helps residents realize that they have the ability to create and shape the place where they live. "There's something powerful about caring for the public realm," says Maria Rosario-Jackson, a specialist in urban planning and a senior research associate at the Urban Institute. "There's the responsibility of caring for something greater than yourself."

Start small. Maybe your vision of a new park isn't possible yet, but you can help your neighbors see how great it would be by hosting a neighborhood kids' play day on your front lawn.
Do something temporary. Experiment before making any permanent changes. You don't need to bring out the bulldozers just yet — see if your concept catches on first. Mow that meadow and host a few impromptu soccer games, put a couple of Ping-Pong tables in an alley or set up a few food tables near that dilapidated street. If it works, you'll have a motivated group of people to help make your dream a permanent reality.
Bring your life out to the streets. Placemaking doesn't have to involve anything out of the box. Just bring one of your daily passions or habits outside. This could be something like cooking, playing games, playing music (quietly) or even working around a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Find a leader. "An important part of creating a community is leadership," says Rosario-Jackson. "Find a community leader to help create a culture of participation."
Communicate. Don't let motivation or connections fade. Share ideas and stay in touch with a Google Group or the neighborhood-based social network Nextdoor.

Learn more about placemaking at the Project for Public Spaces

Tell us: Do you see a way it to make your neighborhood a stronger community?

More: Book It: Bring a Mini Library to Your Front Yard

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Comments (19)

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amandahfassett

We are so quick to dismiss and generalize people without a place in this world. Your inconvenience is the tragedy of another human life. I am sorry you are bothered by the sights and smells of these people. I'm even more sorry for them, and if you were my neighbor you would make me uncomfortable.

Like October 9, 2013 at 9:32PM

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marsia

It's not the sights and sounds, it's the mind that is on drugs or excessive alcohol. The addicted behavior is not acceptable to me. If you think that tolerance and sympathy for a homeless drug addict is going to keep them from breaking into your house and stealing anything they can for drug money, go for it. I have treated people like this, and though the person under all that addiction and pain may be very lovable and wonderful, the behavior can not be tolerated, or they stay in that miserable state. This is probably not politically correct to say, but if you really care about people on the street, don't put up with them thrashing the environment and being public nuisances.

Like October 10, 2013 at 9:27AM

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marsia

Danielle Parsons_Smith, I think I had a reaction to your comment about people calling the homeless "undesirable". Bad label to put on a person, but I can understand the frustration. No one wants their neighborhood to become unsafe and decline because the government won't deal with homelessness and severe mental health issues. That was my main point.

Like October 10, 2013 at 9:39AM

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