Walkable communities, like ecosystems, offer more-sustainable living
Too many individuals and families feel isolated and cut off from their neighbors and fellow citizens. In many places across America, community is in name only. I believe this lack of community is the cause of many of our problems, from the breakdown of the family, to our health, social and environmental issues.
I studied architecture in college and worked on many development projects through the years, most recently helping to create town centers. Our sprawling suburban neighborhoods require residents to drive miles to work or to buy a loaf of bread. We need communities that are better scaled to a moresustainable lifestyle. We need to create environments in which one’s daily tasks do not require using an automobile.
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It was not until I began to study biology that clues nature has given us began to dawn on me, clues as to how all life forms grow organically to create a healthy, unified organism.
As the dominant species on the planet, we have the power to destroy or to create, the ability to build or tear down, the capacity to thrive or to wither in much the same manner as a natural ecosystem. When one part of a body is isolated, or one living cell loses the ability to communicate with the rest, the organism suffers overall and is less able to withstand stresses, shocks and changes in the environment that are inevitable. Our society faces such stress and shocks today.
So how can we bring the system back into balance, restore our communities’ health and capacity to grow and thrive?
First, by recognizing that biology and nature can inform our decision-making process, from start to finish. No longer can we afford to see humanity as separate from the planet, superimposing our will and building artificial systems and structures that confine and separate us from our neighbors and from nature. Integration and decentralization are keys to community. Over-centralization of power in Washington and New York is part of our problem.
Roadways, sidewalks, bike paths and open spaces should be seen as networks of the community, much like those of the human body. Extra care must be taken to ensure that they flow smoothly, not just allowing movement, but encouraging interaction with the natural and social environment.
Trees and nature should not be seen as mere adjuncts that raise property values, but as environments that life depends on for sustenance and meaning.
The calming effects of nature, the sounds of birds, wind and water, are well established medically and scientifically. No resident should have to get in a car and drive to a forest or park to experience the health-giving benefits of nature. Our homes, neighborhoods and workplaces should be as parklike as possible, even in the urban cores.
Urban areas contain 80 percent of the U.S. population, but have only about 24 percent tree-canopy coverage. Many are treeless. In these areas, we live and work in a man-made machine that has lost its connection to nature and the processes of life. Life becomes more abstract and loses much of its meaning. With this abstract world view, we are making unsustainable decisions on how we interact with our planet.
I also contend that religion is an emergent property of the development of community, a unifying force allowing people to live together more harmoniously. Unfortunately, growing secularization of the West, and in America, has weakened those bonds that once held diverse people together in a communal way. Common value systems are necessary for successful integration of society. Maybe our common value system moving forward should be based on sustainability, integration and an appreciation for the amazing processes of life?
I live in Baldwin Park, a wellplanned new urbanist community. Many homes have a nice front porch. But as I take my daily walks through the landscaped neighborhoods, I see no one on those inviting porches. We need more porches, but we also need more people out on our front porches, literally and figuratively.
It will take a community-wide commitment, locally, regionally and nationally, with more and better communication, less emphasis on competition and profit-taking, greater personal and professional responsibility to the living systems that we all share.
I encourage my colleagues in real estate and development, urban planning and design, to participate fully and with a sense of urgency. We can keep our fists clenched, as competitors — or open our hands and reach out to others to create a more meaningful life for all.