(I <3 Google Maps street view)
The neighborhood in which I live is a quiet, arborous community headed by the Homeowners' Association. Each house is connected by one wall, forming a duplex townhouse. I don't think of my community as the unconnected suburban sprawl Kunstler and Guterman mentioned. For one thing, I live just a few freeway exits away from Downtown San Diego. My community is an authentic suburban. And unlike the brand new suburban sprawls of Temecula, Menifee, and others, our neighborhood has been around for a long time. Some of its occupants have lived there since it was built in the late 1970s. Despite my family living here since 1990, we are not closely connected to our neighbors. In fact, all the people in my neighborhood generally keep to themselves. We all make small talk when we wash our cars, walk our dogs, get our mail, or walk to and from our cars. My mother's naturally nosy nature allows her to know more about our neighbors than anyone else in our community. And although we have our own lives that don't involve each other, there is an unwritten rule that we look out for one another. If a garage door is left open or a car light left on, we let each other know. If my family goes out of town for vacation, we leave our house and car keys across the street with Omar, just in case there's a fire and he can save my parents' precious Benz. There is an implicit trust in our neighborhood.
I strongly disagree that this lack of community and connection is necessarily a bad thing. Community is not a specific location to me. Community is the bond I share with loved ones. I find my community in my friends and family. It is this separation of residence and social connection that I think keeps people sane. If everyone was in each other's business all the time in our neighborhood, we'd probably get sick of one another and begin neighborhood rivalries. If you watch "Everybody Loves Raymond," then you know what I'm talking about. We have our homes for the purpose of living our own lives. If people want to be social, go outside. That's what "outside" is for; it's at our disposal. Kunstler's idea of creating a place in which we want to spend time is exactly what we need outside of our homes.
It's an interesting idea to think of some suburbs being the real or authentic ones in comparison to newer subdivisions. I don't know Kunstler would buy it, but I wonder if you are onto something. One thing that does strike me is that as a suburb ages, the area may mature as well... becoming a richer area to live in.
ReplyDeleteYou also made a really interesting observation about the undesirability of "too much" community!