Neighbors

From Kentucky to Florida to Washington State, a delightful culture of impossibly long yard sales helps communities thrive.

September 15, 2025 - Kim Kobersmith

A North Kansas City grant program offers up to $400 for residents to throw neighborhood block parties.

June 13, 2025 - The Kansas City Star

Residents of co-living developments say the built-in community helps ease the growing isolation felt by many Americans.

December 4, 2024 - NPR

How a humble neighborhood get-together can help build stronger cities.

July 29, 2024 - Strong Towns

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.

May 9, 2019 - Vox

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.

July 14, 2017 - StarTribune

Chuck Wolfe says that urbanism that can readily occur in urban neighborhoods "without really trying" as people naturally come together in impromptu ways.

September 12, 2011 - myurbanist

Neighbors across the country are clashing over whether or not to build sidewalks in their neighborhoods.

March 10, 2011 - The Wall Street Journal

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.

September 17, 2010 - The Washington Post

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.

August 27, 2010 - Der Spiegel

Face-to-face interactions between neighbors may be declining in some cities, but, increasingly, neighbors are connecting with each other online.

June 30, 2010 - Next American City

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.

June 3, 2010 - Melissa Hege

Kyla Fullenwider offer ten simple ideas to improve the livability of your block.

February 10, 2010 - Good

A new study finds that while Arizona residents like where they live, they have low levels of civic engagement.

December 18, 2009 - The Arizona Republic

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.

November 4, 2009 - Gallup

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.

October 15, 2009 - NPR

Can Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace replace the neighborhood bar, cafe, or hangout? Mary Newsom says no.

September 25, 2009 - Citiwire.net

Community participation is on the rise, and many sociologists think it's related to the recession.

May 6, 2009 - The Seattle Times

This post from The Mish Mash shows pictures of some of the worst neighbors to have.

February 26, 2008 - The Mish Mash