Overheard a conversation at the El Modelo tortilla shop that got me thinking about community

I was waiting for my order at El Modelo on Broadway the other day and caught two older guys talking about how the neighborhood has changed over the past 20 years. One of them said something like 'we used to know every single person on our block by first name back then, now I barely get a wave.' It really stuck with me because I've noticed the same thing in my area off of Central. People just stay inside more or keep to themselves unless there's some kind of problem. I started wondering if the city could do more to encourage block parties or something simple like that. Has anyone else seen a shift in how connected their neighborhood feels compared to 10 years ago?

3 comments

3 Comments

miam751mo ago

Isn't that the truth, it's sad how things have changed like that.

blakem3728d ago

The whole way we set things up now makes it hard to just bump into people on purpose anymore. Even the newer neighborhoods being built, they don't put in front porches or sidewalks that connect anywhere, just garages facing the street and cul-de-sacs that don't go anywhere. You gotta get in your car to buy a loaf of bread, no corner store to walk to, and if the only place to talk is a parking lot, nobody's gonna hang around there. It's like we engineered all the accidental meetings right out of the design. Maybe it's just me, but I think that's a big part of why folks feel more isolated now than they did even twenty years ago.

the_eric1mo ago

Block parties are a good idea but people forget those older guys were the same ones who fought against having sidewalks put in back in the 90s because they didnt want "the city telling them what to do with their street." You cant complain about nobody walking around when you voted against making it easier to walk places. The real shift isnt just about knowing names, its about how we designed the whole street system to move cars fast instead of having people stop and talk. El Modelo is actually one of the few places left where you can still accidentally have a conversation while waiting for tortillas. That doesnt happen in a drive thru.