With the undeniable growth of city dwellers there is a debate whether urbanization prevents people from building a relationship with their neighbors and thus makes the idea of creating a community improbable.
The heart of the problem is rooted in social isolation that can be created when urban residents live physically close, but aren’t able to communicate on the daily basis. This issue is often linked to busy lifestyle filled with long working hours, heavy traffic and more often than not, after hour stays in the office. Hardly can anybody find strength afterwards to socialize with their neighbors, let alone build meaningful relationships with them. That’s why organizing simple local events during weekends, such as food markets, clean up days, or small festivals, can encourage citizens to mingle around and meet without much effort. After finding some common interest, making friends could feel less like a chore, and more like a natural part of everyday life.
One other difficulty that can cause social isolation is lack of shared public spaces. Some neighborhoods are robed of parks, community centers, playgrounds and safe spaces for meetups. Without proper local hubs, it is highly unlikely for a community lifestyle to flourish. In order to tackle this inconvenience, governments should invest in parks, libraries, sports areas and common spaces inside residential areas. That way, taking part in community life can be integrated into a work-life balance effectively and effortlessly.
In conclusion, with the urban lifestyle being challenging and often draining, having a healthy community can alleviate that strain. Therefore, we should strive to organize our cities in a way that could facilitate the process of creating social bonds establishing friendships within the neighborhood.