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The Subliminal Reason Why a Traditional Neighborhood Attracts Community Involvement The experience of living in a traditional neighborhood like Longleaf is different than living in a conventional urban neighborhood. As a person who likes being active in my community, I had no idea what was in store for me and others here. Ten years ago as we prepared to move into Longleaf, I could not get enough information about Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TND’s). In everything read, the community interaction was always the prevalent trait of these places. As my husband and I traveled around the state looking at the TND “examples” original developers Trey and Frank Starkey told us about, it became clear that these neighborhoods were designed for interaction. From the eyeview height of porches to the width of sidewalks, all design was directed to make communication with others easier. When I first moved into Longleaf, neighborhood events were part of the “sell” of this unique, pre-World War II style of neighborhood. It was common to see those that had not moved in yet attending events with their families, and often it was the kids who helped make the decision of moving here. It is still not uncommon to see a ball game attended by all ages at any of the numerous parks. Many of our residents will still tell you that this type of community reminds them of family members home in the northeast, where TND neighborhoods are quite common. As the first resident who had the luck of living across from the first park, it did not take me long to fantasize about “what could be” there. Imagine events that your family could walk to instead of getting into a car and driving somewhere! The ideas were easy to “see” and the developers let us experiment. Little did I know that it wasn’t an individual’s idea, but the fact that this place allowed these ideas to grow, because of space, because of how this place naturally allows us to interact. Because we can. Many of the events early on came from those that moved here from places out of Florida. My fondness for “Martha Stewart” pictures of July 4th celebrations and picnics in the park came to life easily here. A California resident brought up the idea of “Movies on the Green”, where families bring out lawn chairs and picnicked while watching a movie. The yearly Memorial Day Parade brought out families to their porches, if they weren’t in the parade. Call it sentimental, but it was a true delight to show kids how to loop streamers and clip a playing card to their bike wheel with a clothespin to prepare for the parade. So… it becomes second nature to want to do more here. I often think what I would do if I lived in another neighborhood. Would I still do these things somewhere else? No. Why? Have you ever looked at an open place like a paint palette and wondered “what could be”? There are many places like that here. There are not just homes here. There is a downtown that has services that we can use and walk to everyday. There are parks and ball fields everywhere, and sidewalks big enough for a walking club. The coffee shop has games and books and after school snacks for kids. Even my son’s friends envy the fact they live here. So, if you ask me why a person becomes involved in this community, it may have started with an “ah ha!” moment… but the final conclusion is because a neighborhood like this is setup to accept these ideas and grow with its residents. Those that don’t grow with it move on. But those who subliminally see the big picture of all of the possibilities of a place like this stay and grow our families here. Now, if we could just import the fireflies in… |