2007-07-21 Unconference Schedule - Reconsidering Neighborhoods
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Reconsidering Neighborhoods
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Summary
Neighborhoods have moved away from being a place where people lived where they worked to being a place intentionally removed from commercial activity. Creating sustainable neighborhoods relies on being able to provide the infrastructure and the resources in tandem.
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Actions
Calls to Action:
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Notes
- Neighborhood association - not always a constructive force; developed to oppose things
- Aging population (driving everywhere)
- Historical notions of neighborhood is gone
- don't want businesses near where they live
- fear traffic
- Resources (groceries) are too far and not walkable distances or topology
- suburb mentality:
- when one gets a certain amount of $$, you don't live over your business anymore
- class distinctions form around those without means to escape city
- migration is enabled by transportation
- having business in a local neighborhood depends on what kind of business
- Hirons may not equal sustainability, but groceries likely would
- mindset is anti-business ... the first big jump needed is accepting businesses at all
- businesses need to be personal, accessible
- it is more than just putting a business in the neighborhood ... infrastructure is needed
- for example: a bridge was built to a store that wound up closing
- Developers need to be very conscious of what kind of businesses are going to be in their spaces
- Neighborhood stores are a remnant of an older age when this was common
- car brings people everywhere
What things do people fear about bringing resources to a local neighborhood?
- neighbor as business - they won't bond with citizens, gone at night, absentee ownership
- people like their anonymity
- are we going to be proactive in our development or just market driven?
