Spring is coming (I promise) and it's a great time to talk about neighborhoods. Not just the cluster of houses that are near to each other...but the people who give a friendly hello when you're walking your dog, or help you shovel the snow off your sidewalk, or notice when your mail's no been picked up and check in to make sure you're okay. These interactions are the daily currency of community...and we need to see a lot more of that in Cedar Falls.
For the past few years, I've been working on a map to identify our neighborhoods, and though it's not yet been officially approved (will it ever be?), I do believe it's the best we've got. The reason for it is to help residents develop some affinity and spirit being part of their own neighborhood and, more importantly, to connect with neighbors.
Loneliness is a Problem; Neighborhoods are an Answer
A recent report by the former Surgeon General calls loneliness an epidemic in our country. Most of are on our devices, gazing into the lives of friends and family far away...but few us can identify our nearby neigbors by name. In my own neighborhood, Sartori Park, we've bucked that trend with Tuesday porch nights the summer, Memorial Day / Labor Day neighborhood picnics, and a "Halloweenie" hot dog roast. Most of the neighbors participate, and we help each other out whenever we can. For us, neighborliness is a Big Deal. And if I can accomplish one big thing as your City Council Rep, I'd love it to be encouraging neighbors to connect and develop similar activities and relationships in their communities.
Your Neighborhood Needs You!
In El Dorado Heights, Coventry Lane, Cedar Heights, and other neighborhoods around town, neighbors like you are actively working to start up the kinds of activities that make up vibrant neighborhoods. Often, these activities are being coordinated through Nextdoor.com, a free neighborhood social network used by 2,500+ Cedar Falls residents to engage with their neighborhoods. Or, maybe it's an e-mail list for your neighborhood. The action's far more important than the method.
The Year of Neighborhoods
Here's an idea I'll throw out there...what if we proclaimed 2020 as a citywide year of neighborhoods, to celebrate the connections and neighborhood associations we established/rejuvinated in 2018, and strengthened in 2019? And to turn have National Night Out 2020 (Tuesday evening, August 4th) as a city-wide, neighborhood-based party? I'm happy to be a cheerleader and point of contact for the effort, but it really takes YOU as a relationship-minded neighbor to get the ball rolling. Give me a shout - I can connect you to the like-minded people in your neighborhood.
Let's strengthen our neighborhoods together, and strenghen our city in the process...who's with me?