Going for Daily Walks? Use Them as an Opportunity to Learn about Your Neighborhood.

Image via Michael Browning.

These past few weeks have been an odd mix of connecting across long distances but also feeling more rooted than ever to the place where I live. I’m Zooming into meetings and gatherings with friends far and wide, but I’m also going for walks every day in my immediate neighborhood.

Knowing your neighbors and your neighborhood’s needs is one of the most important steps toward building a strong town. You can’t set out to update transportation services or change zoning laws without knowing what’s actually going on around you—what transportation looks like day-to-day for the people in your city, what homes and businesses have resulted from the existing zoning code, and so on.

My husband and I moved to a new house this month, so I have been getting to know my neighborhood with fresh eyes on my daily walks.

Here are three things I’ve been experiencing anew in this hyper-local era, and how they’re helping me learn about my town’s strengths and challenges.

1. Meeting the neighbors 

In our normal lives, we spend our evenings and weekends out in different parts of the city, visiting friends or going to weekly activities like volunteering and church. I long for those things deeply. But I think I also would have missed out on a lot if I had been rushing from place to place so much.

Now that our outings consist of walks around the neighborhood, sitting on our porch, or sometimes just taking out the trash, these are opportunities to meet our neighbors. I literally met two neighbors on my way to the trashcans this past week! And my husband has made fast friends with another neighbor who takes care of the property just by stopping to chat when we see him outside. In other circumstances, I might not have noticed these people or spent more time with them than a passing “Hello.”

All of these encounters help me understand who lives around me and what their needs are. I’ve seen an elderly blind man walking down my street each morning and started to notice whether the sidewalk is smooth and safe for him to travel. I’ve watched countless neighbors pushing strollers or biking with young kids, and begun to think more seriously about what offerings this area has for children and families.

I feel as though I am tuning into the life and breath of my neighborhood in a way I never would have before—and I am collecting all this data for the time when I can attend neighborhood meetings, join a neighborhood association or vote for local candidates who will serve my community’s needs.

2. Noticing the neighborhood’s infrastructure  

Daily walks and jogs have been a lovely introduction to what’s going on around me. I notice which homes are duplexes or fourplexes, which are getting fixed up and which are more rundown. I see the care with which my neighbors are starting to tend their gardens and beautify their spaces. I recognize buildings under construction or vacant spaces that could be filled with something new. I see the streets that are potholed and intersections that seem risky.

I might not have paid such close attention to the streets and buildings around me during a typical time when I’m just focused on getting from one place to the next. But now that I am living during this slowdown, I can actually stop and understand how garages and parking spots creatively use limited urban space, or how updates to existing buildings might improve property values.

Walks through my neighborhood have helped me understand the infrastructure around me—both the components that make our community a prosperous place to live and work, as well as the components that are strained, dysfunctional or in need of repair. That insight is going to be more important than ever when we move toward trying to recover our local economy.

3. Getting familiar with local stores

I was never much of an online shopper before this pandemic, but—with places like Amazon projecting long delays—I certainly have no interest in waiting a month for a new book or roll of toilet paper now. What I am doing instead is spending more time getting familiar with local businesses that can fulfill these needs quickly while keeping my dollars in the neighborhood. Through a combination of internet searches, recommendations from friends and, mostly, just walking around my area to see what’s open, I’m starting to understand the business fabric of my neighborhood.

I was able to order knitting needles from a local craft shop that hand-delivered them to my home. We’ve been sampling some restaurants we weren’t previously familiar with that are currently offering take-out. And our little corner grocery store has become a much safer and simpler place to shop than the big grocery markets (let alone trying to get a spot in a grocery delivery schedule).

I’m also filing away my notes on closed local businesses for the future, when they might be able to reopen. There’s a kitchen supply store I can’t wait to check out, and I noticed a few small hotels nearby where relatives might stay if they come to visit later. I can also start to see the gaps: Why aren’t there many clothing stores where my neighbors could shop for children’s items? Or how about a pet supply store?

My explorations of the neighborhood have shown me that there’s an incredible amount of local economic activity here that can serve so many of the needs in our community. I pray that these businesses will survive the current pandemic and I’m supporting them as much as possible now.

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If you’re spending time going for a walk through your neighborhood, why not use it as an opportunity to pay attention to the people, spaces and businesses around you? What might you learn about your community’s economic strengths and weaknesses simply by noticing the daily life of your place?

We also invite you to connect with hundreds of readers and members across North America (and beyond!) discussing how the Strong Towns movement can make their communities stronger. These discussions are helping participants better understand the complex challenges their communities face and—most important—inspiring community-boosting action.

Cover image via Michael Browning.

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