Bringing Back the Block Party

In a piece for Strong Towns, Emma Durand-Wood offers “three reasons block parties are a highly valuable, underused tool for building stronger places.”

According to Durand-Wood, block parties have three important functions:

• Reducing fear and building trust: Block parties offer an opportunity to meet in a comfortable, casual environment with no agenda or polarizing issue. Too often people meet their neighbors when something goes wrong.
• Fostering community and creating agency: Getting to know neighbors can make a community more resilient to change and ready to act when needed. “Relationships built on a single issue may have some success in the short term. However, truly strong, powerful and enduring relationships are based on genuine interest, care and concern for your neighbors.”
• Dreaming big and starting small: One small event can help connect neighbors with similar interests and build long-term bonds that lead to further interaction.

As a bonus, Durand-Wood adds that block parties can also be a way for hard-working activists to restore and recharge among their neighbors and friends. Whether it’s an expansive event with street closures or a simple backyard barbecue, “The time we spend getting to know the people on our streets and in our neighborhoods, regardless of the scale of the gathering, is an investment that will never go to waste.”