Neighbors

For Some, Co-Housing Offers Social and Economic Benefits
Residents of co-living developments say the built-in community helps ease the growing isolation felt by many Americans.

Bringing Back the Block Party
How a humble neighborhood get-together can help build stronger cities.

Neighborhood-Based Apps and the Socialized Fear of Crime
Violent crime is at the lowest rate in decades, but don't tell that to the people who use neighborhood-based apps like Nextdoor, Citizen, and Neighbors.

Friday Friendly: More Houses Should Have Patios in the Front
With so many houses oriented to the privacy of backyards, one street in St. Louis has redefined neighborly by orienting their sitting and relaxation areas to the front yard.
Urbanism Without Effort
Chuck Wolfe says that urbanism that can readily occur in urban neighborhoods "without really trying" as people naturally come together in impromptu ways.
Sidewalks: A Suburban Battleground
Neighbors across the country are clashing over whether or not to build sidewalks in their neighborhoods.
Virginia Speed Bump Leads to Neighborhood Activist's Murder
A Virginia man who rallied to have a traffic-calming speed bump installed on his street became the source of so much local controversy that a neighbor recently shot and killed him.
Seeking That Neighborly Feeling
The new HafenCity district under construction in Hamburg, Germany, is one of the largest urban developments underway today. Some worry that its newness and bigness aren't prime conditions for harboring neighborliness.
Neighbors Connected
Face-to-face interactions between neighbors may be declining in some cities, but, increasingly, neighbors are connecting with each other online.
The Search for Community One Sleepover at a Time?
I have to admit, listening to Peter Lovenheim talk about his book “In the Neighborhood, The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time”, spiked my planner’s radar. In his novel, the journalist, quite intentionally, well, the title is self-explanatory isn’t it? It sounded a bit hokey and contrived at first, as did the interview. Lovenheim explained that the only way to truly get to know someone and develop a real sense of intimacy and bond was to sleep in their home and shadow them for the day. But the real story is about the loss of intimacy and comfort among neighbors.
10 Ways to Boost Neighborhood Pride
Kyla Fullenwider offer ten simple ideas to improve the livability of your block.
Civic Engagement Low in Arizona
A new study finds that while Arizona residents like where they live, they have low levels of civic engagement.
Lost Your Wallet? Hope You're in Utah.
A new Gallup poll asks respondents whether they'd expect a lost wallet to be returned. The results indicate that trust in neighbors and well-being go hand-in-hand.
Military Base Neighbors Wary of New, Louder Air Fighters
The U.S. Military are on the verge of releasing its new air fighter, the F-35, and about 200 U.S. bases are under consideration to house them. The new planes are three to 12 times louder than existing planes, which has some base neighbors on edge.
Is a Digital Neighbor as Good as the Real Thing?
Can Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace replace the neighborhood bar, cafe, or hangout? Mary Newsom says no.
Recession Fuels 'Neighboring'
Community participation is on the rise, and many sociologists think it's related to the recession.
If You Think Your Neighbors Are Bad...
This post from The Mish Mash shows pictures of some of the worst neighbors to have.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Bakersfield
Standridge Inc.
City of Brookings
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service