Parenting And New Urbanism

For parents, the communities in which we choose to raise our children can and should be an important consideration before selecting a home. It’s not as easy as simply choosing a home in the suburbs or the city. As parents, we want to choose a community that will have a positive effect on the social, emotional and academic development of our children. Too often a home that is chosen for price or the size of the lot doesn’t provide a supportive neighborhood feeling that is helpful for kids and soothing for parents. Our newspapers our filled with headlines of kids harmed by negative environments in their community whether they are affluent communities or not.

There is something else that is missing something that is unrelated to income but linked more so to social values and the “human factor” that really defines a neighborhood in the traditional sense. A movement called “new urbanism” is setting out to change the way we think of community by looking back to our past when the human factor was more important…when we knew our neighbors and took great joy in being involved in neighborhood activities.

In today’s communities, with video games and parents traveling long commutes to and from work, the typical family is pulled in ways that make us feel isolated. Parents complain that their homes are just becoming a place to sleep and maintain. They are also concerned about the health of their children given the relative lack of healthy spontaneous outside activity that defines childhood today. Children aren’t able to play outside with the freedom they use to because parents fear strangers might harm them. The video game and TV have sadly become babysitters for busy parents.

New urbanism is a backlash against this isolation and unhealthy community life. It’s a move to take back our communities and to seek out ways to make our neighborhoods safer and friendlier for kids, entrepreneurs, green living and a thriving cultural life.

Women must take the credit for much of this movement to better quality living since they have borne the brunt of the difficulties arising from our current modern lifestyle. As women have gained more opportunities in the workplace and increasingly become the lead wage earner in single and dual parent families, they’ve borne the strain of maintaining some semblance of a healthy lifestyle while working ten-hour work days and juggling daycare. Many women have said enough is enough and are actively seeking resources, products and services to help them change their lifestyle.

New home builders, city planners, community and political leaders have responded by putting into place initiatives that support safer more attractive and affordable urban development and re-development options for families. We see old cities coming alive again with new home developments designed to attract traditional families, single moms, entrepreneurs, young professionals and others who want to live closer to where they work and to urban cultural offerings (e.g. ballet, theater, art galleries and city parks).

Our suburbs are also teeming with new urbanism communities that respond to the suburban mom’s desire for friendlier communities, cultural town centers, and activities that encourage walking, biking and a real neighborhood feeling.

Parents really have an impact on the personality of our communities. Parents, especially moms, are the ones that are closest to the feelings and aspirations of kids and it is therefore up to us to ensure that we create opportunities for our kids to learn, play and live in communities that are safe, that support green living and a sense of belonging and joy for all who live there.