Somewhere we belong
Building a community is much easier when your environment allows it
Growing up in a small town of about ten thousands residents, I always looked up to the closest big city, as many of us do. That’s where the future can offer us a better job, more possibilities, and a better life.
And even though most of us end up in an urban environment, or were born there, we now feel more alone than ever - we barely know our neighbours, our lives feel hurried and we are constantly looking for ways to escape it.
A big(ger) city has so many things to offer. And that’s why we’re so drawn to it. But designing it should take advantage of this richness. And, rather than keeping people away from each other - it should invite them to collaboration and community.
So what’s happening?
Cities were always built around people. The heart of the city was made up by the people living in it, and the public spaces everyone was spending their time in.
But recently, especially after WW2, we have decided to give up everything we knew. Mindless planning, bad decisions and most importantly, forgetting about the things that make us human, we ended up building these huge cities that have so much potential for everyone, but they end up isolating us from each other.
Cities are overflowing with cars, constant noise, honking, air pollution, commercials at every corner, and no sense of belonging.
It only feels like the means to an end. Just a temporary phase in one’s life. Maybe thinking this is part of the problem, too.
And most people dream of retiring far in the woods or in the country side, to escape all this.
But what if we could actually build better? What if we could build our cities for the people?
What if we felt safe when we got out of the house?
What if instead of getting fatter, sadder and sicker, we’d all benefit from a walk or a bike ride to work, school or bakery?
What if we could listen to the birds and have nature around us, without having to leave the city?
When a city is designed for people, when you have the freedom to move around by yourself, no matter of your financial situation, when there are public spaces all around you, built to make your life better, it’s easier to feel better.
My wife and I loved reading and watching videos about Amsterdam, so a few years ago we decided to visit it. We had a room in a hotel close to Vondelpark, and every morning after breakfast, we’d have our coffee on the stairs outside, watching people go by with their daily lives: to work, to school, daycare, to the market and so on. And everyone was doing this on their bicycles!
People in suits, in casual clothes, dresses, with children as passengers, and with a smile on their face. It’s impossible not to be smiling when you see this.
And I believe the impact of this goes even further: when you see everyone riding a bicycle, just as you, when everyone is sharing the same space instead of being isolated in a metal cages - you feel included.
We had the chance of exploring a lot of towns only by riding our bicycles and using public transport. That was freedom like I’ve never experienced before. And I loved it.
What if we cannot build better (yet)?
Then we should look for local actions that would improve our lives.
Unfortunately, not all of us live in a good place, nor can we move in one. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t solutions.
Meet your neighbours. Plant some trees together. Install a bench and hang out with them. Organise a community garden, or a community park.
Reach out to the local council, maybe together, and ask for things that empower you. A friendlier city.
Instead of constantly dreaming about the plot of land, isolated by everyone, I think it’s more important to start building a community.
We all deserve the right to a city that’s built for us. It shouldn’t be an option for the rich only. It should be a fundamental right.
What makes a city great is first and foremost its citizens - we’re the ones that can make a city beautiful.
So.. get out there. Meet your neighbours. Look for what could be improved, and do it. Reach out to the local council. You’d be surprised how easily you can transform the place in front of your building and its surroundings,as well as your city.