The Joys of Urban Life
There are days when I enjoy having the countryside nearby and the quietness of suburban life. There are other days when I miss the years my husband and I lived smack dab in the center of a large urban city. Luckily I have a foot in both worlds right now.
“This city is what it is because our citizens are what they are.”
Plato
I thought it would be fun to have a look at what “citizens” have done to make an urban lifestyle wonderful to see and experience. Join me on a visual tour of just a few great cities.
Montreal
Boston
Seattle
Show 15 – The Community Builder
What qualifies a community to be on the New Urban Mom Top Ten Communities List? A commitment to building or redeveloping neighborhoods that will nurture a real sense of community.
That’s not an easy concept to explain and that’s why we’re thrilled to have on this week’s show the builder responsible for the New Urban Mom Top Ten List community, Longleaf .
Longleaf development’s Perry Reader, is an architect and planner who was there when new urbanism took hold in the U.S. over 20 years ago. Today as President of the Florida division of Crosland he is part of a company which has as its corporate mission the development of sustainable communities that enhance urban and natural environments.
Listen in as Perry informs us on what makes his firm’s communities so beneficial for the people living there and the environment as a whole.
The Commuting Problem
The case for urban living: Even though we know that long commutes increase pollution and have a lousy impact on one’s quality of life, it is still a reality of life for millions of people who simply don’t live close to their place of employment.
In my town this continues to be a challenge that is newsworthy as so many commuters are looking for solutions. In that vein I thought I’d share some options that are being discussed in my region.
Move Closer to Work
This is one of the most obvious choices, but also among the most difficult to make. If you are a suburbanite with a job located in a distant urban core that could mean a significant change in living accommodations and neighborhoods. And while you would save on your commuting costs, you could take on an even larger mortgage or monthly housing cost. Thriving cities with residential options are often VERY expensive. If you’re on a limited income your only option may be to downsize in order to afford housing within your budget.
That could mean selling your larger suburban home and purchasing a smaller town home or condo. This sounds worse than it actually is as many builders/developers are coming up with beautiful urban home and community designs that rival suburban and rural options in comfort, style and livability.
Another choice is the rental option. Depending on your investment preferences you could choose to sell your suburban home, invest the liquidated equity from that sale in some financial instrument, and sign onto a leased apartment or home in the city.
Choosing to move to the city is not a choice for everyone, but for some families, or empty nesters or individuals/couples with children in college or on their own, this is a viable choice. I know of a few couples who decided that since they couldn’t afford the 700K+ price tag of most single family city homes in their region, they were going purchase or rent smaller condominiums. Being close to live theaters, art galleries, museums, cafes, good stores and a walkable urban neighborhood was THAT important to them.
Lobby for Better Commuter Transit
In many regions there are beautiful commuter trains that can zoom commuters into the city in minutes. The experience is fast, convenient and so much better for the environment as every full train represents hundreds of cars (and their poisonous emissions) that are not on the road.
Here’s the problem: unless you are in a very well financed and busy region, there are almost never enough commuter trains to meet the need. It’s a vicious cycle…you need enough commuters taking the train to provide additional service, but if there isn’t sufficient service many will choose not to take the trains.
For instance where we live the last commuter train leaves at 8:30 a.m. in the morning. The last train leaving the city in the evening leaves at 6:00 p.m. So if you have to go into work later or stay later at work, you’re out of luck. This inflexibility keeps many of my neighbors in their cars, which is unfortunate.
So lobby, lobby, lobby – and push for better schedules. If all else fails…search out employment close to home and look seriously into the benefits of the urban lifestyle.
The picture of urban homes featured above is courtesy of Gothamistllc.com.
Community Organizers Shape our World for the Better
Well we’re in the heat of a U.S. election battle and while this isn’t a political website, this is a site that champions the power of community. So I take great exception to slams against community organizers. Sen. Barack Obama’s background as a “community organizer” was maligned during the Republican convention.
Whether you support Sen. Obama and the Democrats or Sen. McCain and the Republicans you might want to consider weighing in on this issue.
As an active mom, church member, PTA member, former town promotion volunteer, and new urbanism champion, I think what I’ve done requires some responsibility. I think many who have assumed the role of “community organizer” would be offended by the campaign’s assertion that such a role carries with it no responsibility.
Unless you do in fact believe in big government control, which I highly oppose, how could you not champion the people who take it upon themselves to respond to issues in the community and to ACT? The Democrats and the Republicans are parties that are both strengthened by the hard work of such people.
The same holds true for the focus of this website. New urbanism communities today are unique and attractive places in our suburbs and cities that thrive on the contribution, creativity and dedication of individuals who want to create inspiring, clean, safe and culturally stimulating communities.
We want communities that support our desires to start our own businesses or secure good employment; nurture strong families and; live a “green” lifestyle. Most importantly we want all of this to be sustainable.
Without these “community organizers” our new urbanism neighborhoods aren’t sustainable and remain just an idea. The fact that new urbanism was an idea that became a slow and steady reality over the last 18 years is a testament to the “community organizers” and visionaries in urban planning, architecture, residential construction, sustainable “green” development and grassroots neighborhood advocacy.
So let’s hope we have an election that examines the real issues facing Americans and let’s hope it is done with compassion and respect for the true potential that is within all of us to do what is right for our families, our country and the environment.
New Urbanism comes to Hollywood…Florida
The town of Hollywood, Florida is just about ready to approve the construction of an “urban village” that will cost upwards of $500 million. This ought to have some impact on efforts to curb urban sprawl by keeping/attracting residents to more urbanized areas of this region.
Even though this Florida development is described as the model of the future “that will feature connected network of streets accommodating pedestrians, cars and bicycles” it still had to overcome significant concerns of county and city governments and local residents before getting to this final stage of approval.
That’s a point worth noting in order to manage some expectations. One of the reasons that new urbanism has had a slow but steady growth over the last 18 years or so is that it requires appropriate infrastructure and “communications” to ensure sustainability and community buy in.
Introducing a high density project to a neighborhood isn’t always greeted with open arms and that’s no surprise. Visions of crowded spaces and noise come to mind and no one wants that.
What we do want, however, is a cleaner environment and a way to reduce costly commutes to work. Over the years architects and community planners have come up with increasingly better designs that build on the strengths of urban living while finding ways to incorporate green space and other features that support a healthier lifestyle. Those improvements are converting more naysayers into new urban champions.
To read more about Hollywood, Florida’s newest new urban community click here.
New Urbanism and Web 2.0
It occurred to me today that the reasons why more and more people are choosing new urbanism as the kind of community they want to live in is for much the same reasons why so many people are attracted to social media and web 2.0 technology.
We are social beings. We try our best to build barriers between one another but before long we eventually break them down.
In the 1950′s we built suburbs 30 miles from where we worked on the belief that our happiness was linked to driving big cars, mall shopping and lawn care. The “people” factor was secondary.
Today we recognize how much richer, “greener” and satisfying our communities can be without long commutes. We’re rediscovering the joy of shopping locally for food and supplies. Working and socializing in our community is not something to fear but something that can really enhance our lives – socially and financially.
Finding ways to attract more employers to our communities is now becoming a full-time community effort as we recognize that the sustainability of our communities depends on the social and commercial mix of our neighborhoods.
Community building is at the heart of new urbanism which is why I couldn’t wait to get a copy of a new publication called Instructions from the Cook: Recipes for New Conversations. This book by George Nemeth and Jack Ricchiuto (two individuals you can follow on Twitter) looks at how “conversations” between people can build community and eliminate the misunderstandings that can cause fragmentation.
If you haven’t joined Twitter you should. Twitter is one of those web 2.0 technologies enabling conversations between people and nurturing a great mix of commercial and social chat. It’s the “virtual water cooler” for many who work at home and others as well. The popularity of Twitter and a number of discussion forums on the web is rooted in the fact that real, breathing people want to share their thoughts, ideas, humor and fear with other real people everyday.
We congratulate each other on the birth of children and share condolences at the loss of a loved ones. Thousands (if not millions) of people connect in this way regularly, almost without fail. This is, IMO, a truly awesome concept and development in our modern lives.
We’ve found a way to make “cold, unfeeling techonlogy” very touchy feely much like we’ve done with our communities. From the ‘burbs to new ‘urbs we’re rediscovering the gift and impact of conversation outside of our protected circles and the appreciation of being in community with each other.
Book Review: Leisureville
**UPDATE**: You can listen the podcast featuring the author here.
There are some books, like George Orwell’s 1984, that give you a bizarre peek at an imaginary future while at the same time sending shudders down your spine as you realize that the eerie future described is actually here.
Andrew Blechman’s book Leisureville
Leisureville is a deceptively leisurely trip through some of America’s largest and fastest selling new urban or master planned communities built specifically for the 50+ resident.
Who hasn’t grumbled even a little bit as a teenager blurts out the F___ word at a theater. Or what about that 14 year old boy in front of you at the mall whose pants are practically at his ankles? Sure we grumble but once your own kids are grown would you want to live in one of those adult only communities where kids are actually banned from living there? Would you really want to live hundreds of miles away from your son(s) or daughter(s), grandchildren and friends you’ve spent most of your life with just so that you could have a few “amenities” and avoid seeing other people’s kids?
I actually thought Blechman was taking us through a fictional community when he described lamp posts that piped out music from the 1950′s and community rules that forbid residents from having children in their homes for more than 30 days during the year. It’s like reading a chapter out of the Stepford Wives (well the Stepford Wives’ parents).
The shocker is that Blechman’s story is true. These are real communities. Blechman actually spends a number of weeks in what he terms “retirement utopias” in Florida and Phoenix. He estimates that there are as many as 1500 of these retirement communities in the U.S. with some under construction, others in the planning stages and many already housing tens of thousands of residents–some as young as 40+.
If you’re curious to see what these communities look like visit this website. Imagine the great “U.S. melting- pot society” looking to a dark corner of its past to embrace a new type of segregation–one now based on age. The worse scenario for me? Imagine our kids not benefiting from the wise insights and life experiences that our older relatives/friends have to offer. I know for me personally, living 10-minutes from my parents has been about the single most positive influence on the development of my children.
Is this retirement utopia a distortion of the new urbanism dream? Remember NU is a movement designed to make our communities more people friendly, safer and sustainable by creating communities for people of different income and age brackets. It is that diversity that has served to build strong, creative and sustainable communities across the country. These retirement communities seem to be the antithesis of new urbanism.
In Leisureville, Blechman throws a spotlight on the kinds of myopic perspectives some people adopt after spending too much time in their own, segregated community. What I found most upsetting was the response some seniors seemed to share around the notion of shouldering responsibility for the funding of our public schools.
Apparently many senior communities have actually voted down referendum after referendum calling for increased taxes to help out needy local schools. The arguments of the adults in these strong voting blocks is that their kids are out of school, they themselves are on limited incomes and they’d sooner have the families with kids currently in schools assume the burden of funding.
Where would we be today if our forefathers (and mothers) had thought that way? As Blechman poignantly points out our society has enjoyed an unwritten social contract where one generation buys into paying for the services that will ultimately be enjoyed by the generations to come. That contract has allowed residents in this country to enjoy a sense of security and lifestyle rarely seen elsewhere in this world.
From Leisureville:
What will happen when there are thousands of these segregated communities across America, housing millions of aging secessionists? What happens to the rest of us–those left behind who don’t qualify in terms of age or finances? For that matter, what happens to American society in general, and our municipalities in particular, when a critical mass of mature Americans form self-contained private cities and disengage from the general population? Experience shows that these privately owned quasi-governmental entities often resent paying local taxes for schools as well as for municipal services that they prefer to perform themselves. And they are potent voting blocs that can swing elections addressing these issues.”
Perhaps the generation leading this movement to retirement utopia – the 78 million members of the Baby Boomer Generation – need to reassess the impact of the kinds of decisions many are making about community life.
Perhaps we also need to think about our approaches to community life. If our seniors don’t feel welcome they’ll leave, and we will miss their guidance, experience and patience. Those who need their guidance and patience most – our toddlers, our teens and especially the parents raising them – really can’t afford to have that kind of absence of leadership and support in the community.
Blechman reminds the rest of us who truly enjoy our communities and the quirks and joys of living with people of different ages, backgrounds and cultures to acknowledge what we have and to take steps to ensure that our communities are accessible, nurturing and safe for residents of ALL ages and with different needs. That’s an outcome that takes participation and engagement. Are you up for it?
New Urbanism Developments Clashing with the Real Thing?
New urbanism is a nod to the past and an acknowledgment that we love to live in neighborhoods where we can stroll to the corner store, socialize with friends and family close to home, utilize public amenities and services that help us to live in an eco-friendly ways, and work in an office down the street or in our homes.
That’s the new urbanism dream in a very simple nutshell. Best of all it’s not just a dream anymore – we’re reshaping old cities and building new communities across the country that meet these goals.
There are, however, still many people who fear new urbanism because it’s not perfect. They worry that some of the new urbanism communities being developed are too “fake” looking. They worry that because many newly built “new urbanism” communities also attract big retailers that these communities will compete with the real thing (e.g., historic towns, urban city cores).
I don’t get it. Why the worry?
New urbanism isn’t just about the buildings, it is about a mindset. We should be happy that we have a growing segment of the population that simply wants people friendly communities. We should be overjoyed that developers and city planners are thinking of ways to make old and new communities equally eco-friendly. It’s hard to live a green lifestyle without some solid help and leadership from our community leaders and service organizations (like recycling services, etc.).
The new urbanism movement is making all of this possible.
One of my favorite OLD new urbanism cities is Montreal…take a look at this article heralding a recent new urbanism seminar there but also raising some of the same old concerns we always hear about…click here to read.
Getting Ready to Send a Teen to College
This blog is a resource and I hope an inspiration for making our communities places that encourage positive and healthy growth for ourselves, our families and our businesses. Is it any wonder then that I feel so conflicted about the rite of passage that so many of us go through when it comes time to send our kids off to college?
Just when I’m feeling that my family is thriving in our “new urbanism” community, I’m helping one of us to LEAVE!
Most minutes of the day I’m fine, even excited about the thought that my daughter will be moving away to college in a few weeks.
Then there are those other moments when I wonder about all the things mosts parents worry about. Will she be able to get home from class safely? Will she comfortable with her roommate? Will she eat a balanced dinner each day? Okay that last question is probably Karma coming back to bite me as I promised my mom I would eat well when I was in college and existed on tea and Rice Krispies for about half my diet!
Everytime I think through the scary scenarios and get to the point where I’m questioning why we’re sending her away when there are perfectly good schools close by, I answer myself pretty quickly – because we want her to grow (and we want her to attend a REALLY good school).
When I was 18 I couldn’t wait to move into my university residence! Just the thought of being on my own and making my own decisions about my day to day life gave me an unbelievable high – without drugs!
I’m sensing my daughter is just as excited (though more low key than I was – thank goodness) – so I know we’re doing the right thing.
Often when I find the need to look for validation about some instinctive decision I have to make about parenting I think back to the Mutual of Omaha, well not literally that company but the show they use to sponsor on television when I was 5 or 6 years old. It was called “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.”
Anyone reading this old enough to remember that program?
Anyhow, there were an awful lot of real life “human” lessons in those shows especially the “parenting episodes.” You know the programs that focus on say a mama bear preparing her offspring for life in the wild “without mama.”
I’d almost want to cry watching as a cub was being pushed/nudged/encouraged to start finding his own food and securing a separate place to call home…on his own. It was hard but as the handy commentator would tell us, it was for his/her own good and survival.
Like most things, practice makes perfect and perhaps the college environment is as good as we’re going to get for a “practice environment” that will help our kids young adults to become healthy, positive and contributing members of their communities.
NOTE: I have to plug Antioch College – not the school we chose for our daughter, but a school we thought about for many years. I’m hoping all goes well for changes happening at this phenomenal institution. The picture in this post features my daughter during a visit to Antioch, which is located in beautiful Yellow Springs, Ohio. I’d retire there 
Neighborly Chat – Try It
Are you one of those people who run hurriedly into the house/car/garage the minute you glance your neighbor next door?
It’s okay to admit your neighbor phobia because of course you’re not alone. But really do you think it would be that bad if you were to stop and talk for a minute?
I’m not being Mr. Rogers or anything but I happen to be married to a man who was not naturally the neighborly type. Before meeting me I think he believed neighbors were not of this world (or at least his).
Maybe he thought his hair might ignite if he spent 30 seconds talking to some of the people who live closest to us. Whatever it was, I got him out of it about 10 years ago and while he is no chatty Cathy he never ceases to amaze me with his knowledge of who moved in where and who’s getting work done on their house, etc.
The other morning he and I were sipping our coffee on the front porch when all of a sudden I heard “Hi C!”
I asked hubby who that was and he informed me that the voice was coming from our newest neighbor and it didn’t stop there. Hubby was able to tell me all sorts of interesting facts about our new neighbor’s love life and renovation plans (he’s engaged).
Even if you live on acres of land in a rural area, it’s still nice to have a neighbor in your vicinity to share a warm drink in the winter, or to call upon when you need a hand with something. City life and suburban life are truly better if you’re among acquaintances, instead of strangers. Don’t you agree?
I’m Also Here…
