4 ms·
As unpopular as this might be to say, and as environmentally unfriendly as it is, I've known my neighbors in every house I lived in; even when my friends and I
by UnpossibleJim 5y ago
As unpopular as this might be to say, and as environmentally unfriendly as it is, I've known my neighbors in every house I lived in; even when my friends and I rented a house in college, and after I was done with college, and I've rented houses with friends. They weren't always thrilled to see renters move in, but when we mowed the grass or were grilling, etc. you're forced to look over the fence and say "hey". Apartments offer a sense of odd anonymity, where very few know each other unless they already do, for some reason, especially in more urban areas. I was never more anonymous than when I lived in a city proper, living in an apartment building. The only people who knew my name were my coworkers.
EDIT... atrocious grammar
- ethbr0 5y agoOne thing I've been confused about, from the time I've visited friends and (briefly) lived in big box condo / apartment buildings... why aren't there more community spaces? And no, I don't mean "the pool" or "the weight room." I mean actual lounge areas. Social areas. Hell, even Marriott's Residence Inns do a better job than your average building.
- jbay808 5y agoAgreed. I'd love to see more apartment buildings have bakeries, cafes, or other public spaces on the ground floor. Then you can get to know not only your neighbours in your own apartment building, but in shared spaces for the surrounding areas too.
- ben_w 5y agoMy apartment (in Germany, not USA) has that. I hope it reopens after the pandemic.
- pantalaimon 5y agoThat's unfortunately only true for old (100+ years) buildings, most newer developments don't have commercial space in the ground floor.
- ben_w 5y agoAnecdotally it feels like it should be more complex than that, as two of the three whose construction I’ve watched to completion since I moved here have ground floor commercial space.
- ethbr0 5y agoI thought about mixed use (commercial on first, residential above) when I wrote my previous, and left it out, because it seems like a nuanced subject. In that "Community spaces" is a subset of "businesses an owner leasing commercial space would rent to." I don't think we're talking about a Subway sandwich shop on the ground floor being helpful.
- addicted 5y agoWhat are needed are more community spaces. Parks, YMCAs, basketball courts, cafes, etc.
- Ericson2314 5y agoI read in Dublin they built these sorts of appartments but then they got banned.
- drivingmenuts 5y agoThat’s something I find odd, but I grew up as an only child. I actively avoid speaking to my neighbors for the most part and always have. Their business is none of mine. That’s not to say I don’t have a few close friends, but certainly not my next-door neighbors.
- pantalaimon 5y agoYou mean like a bar?
- rytcio 5y agoWould people actually hang out there?
- addicted 5y agoI doubt close friends are geographically close after school. The lack of close friendships is probably driven more by a lack of community activities than not knowing your neighbors.