What Happened to our Neighborhoods?

I think about houses and neighborhoods quite a bit because of my chosen career as a real estate appraiser. But beyond my job considering market value, I find myself delving into a different type of worth: neighborhood value. 

Isolation in Society: Something has happened in our society. There used to be a day and time where kids played outside more often, where families knew and relied upon households next door, and where it was normal to feel a sense of connection amongst neighbors. In thinking back to when you were a kid, did life in your neighborhood seem a bit more interactive and relational than your experience today? Did people trust each other more readily? Did passersby wave? Did you play outside without worrying about Megan’s Law registrants?

What happened?

I’m no big-wig expert by any means, but I wrote a group of short essays in a series entitled “Community Building 101” (pdf file), and I’d like to share them here. My take is that life is not just about the value of our homes, but the quality and value of the relationships we have - even in our neighborhoods. This series made an appearance in The Rancho Cordova Post and Sacramento Press.

Community Building Resources:

• 150 Things you can do to Build Social Capital
• The Citizen’s Handbook: A Guide to Building Community
• The Community Toolbox
• Public Conversations Project
• Community Building 101 Series (pdf)

Let me know if you have any insight, ideas or other resources to share. Feel free to comment below.

www.lundquistcompany.com/blog What Happened to our Neighborhoods?

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