Community Ties in the Era of Isolation

Connectivity may form the bedrock of what we call "resilience" but we're just not all that neighborly these days. Can we become more competitive and lasting by restitching our threadbare community fabric?

1 minute read

August 25, 2015, 1:00 PM PDT

By Hazel Borys


Scott Doyon ruminates, "Looking back over my years of writing for Placeshakers, I notice two themes that keep surfacing: First, we’re better off taking an active role in shaping the forces of community change than we are pretending that immunity to change is a legitimate or viable option; and second, connected communities are far better positioned to weather change, mitigate negative impacts, and seize opportunity than factionalized ones. Such connections, taken collectively, form the bedrock of what we call 'resilience.'”

"Basically, working towards something beats working against something and communities where people know, trust and rely upon one another are far more effective at getting it done."

"Conceptually speaking, I continue to believe this. But another thing I’ve written often about is the fact that community is messy. It requires us to contend with people we may not agree with. People from different backgrounds or circumstance. People seemingly not like us in some way we consider important."

Monday, August 24, 2015 in PlaceShakers

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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