Designing Our Neighborhoods for Happiness

The way we design our communities plays an immense part in how we experience our day to day lives.  Oak Ridge was originally designed with sidewalks for the purposes of people walking to destinations and experiencing impromptu encounters which instilled the “spirit of community.”

Today, these same sidewalk connections are not very encouraging to the spirit of our community.  People walk less because we all have cars therefore we experience fewer encounters spontaneously.  It is the primary cause of social isolation, so rampant in our modern world that it contributes to depression and other maladies. You need not be a therapist to realize this creates lasting psychological effects.  By thwarting the connections between neighbors that encourage us to cooperate and work for the common good we tend to retreat into a more privatized existence.

Creating Community can begin in a variety of forms.   ORRE has chosen to begin by revitalizing the common space in our locally owned commercial centers using the principle of sustainability and green practices.   Through the practice of “New Urbanism” we plan to maximize the opportunities for social exchange by the creation of public plazas, corner stores, coffee shops and more.   It will be up to the city to help by re-zoning with narrow streets and sidewalks that connect our existing locally owned centers to revitalized neighborhoods.

This line of thinking can transform a community, including our WWII built neighborhoods, which were built with sidewalks and were once inviting to the public places that animate a community.

Unique restaurants, art galleries, farmers’ markets, festivals and events can change a community and make strides in improving the demographics of a neighborhood.  By creating sustainable centers that look like grassy patches of paradise, where kids scamper, flowers bloom and strong connections between neighbors can develop fully and organically in a space where everyone shares some common ground.

The benefits of living in these types of pocket neighborhoods can go much further than you might imagine.