Forming 'Weak Ties' Through Community Design

 

By Frank Filocomo

"We are happier," writes Robert Steuteville in Public Square, "when we have connections to other people."

People-friendly and human-centric urban design, Steuteville posits, can engender feelings of social-connectedness and facilitate what sociologists often refer to as "weak ties," that is, the loose and informal social bonds we make with our neighbors and fellow community members. 

Much of today's urban landscape, however, feels cold and sterile. And, as I've noted before, we have a tendency to let our environment dictate or at least shape our behavior. In other words, anti-social urban design will be internalized by community members in a way that makes them distrustful of others and connection-averse. And even weak ties are hard to form when people see each other, not as neighbors, but as social obstacles.  

Thoughtful urban planning, though, can transform communities. 

Steuteville writes that,

how we build communities can strengthen social ties, and boost satisfaction. There’s a transportation component: When we walk, we are more likely to have a friendly interaction with another person.

I've written about walkable cities before for National Review. You can read that here.  

Steuteville, in making the case for walkable cities, explains how his children benefited from "prosocial" urbanism:

I raised my children in a historic neighborhood, where they walked to three schools, K-12. They met friends each day and had a personal relationship with the crossing guard at the elementary school, who always had a friendly word. When he retired and later died, they mourned.

Conversely, if we live in sprawl, without the ability to serendipitously bump into our neighbors during our daily stroll or commute to work, we will deprive ourselves of the weak ties that are characteristic of robust and flourishing communities. 

We must look to New Urbanist principles as a helpful aid in the revival of American community.

Before you go: Check out my latest article for Philanthropy Daily here. I discuss how intergenerational-connectedness can help shield the elderly from loneliness and isolation. 

Oh, and The Frank Forum got a little shout-out in Jack Fowler's Civil Thoughts newsletter here. 

See ya next time!