Building Connected Communities

There is a growing fear of an economic recession occurring in 2023. In fact, there are those who would argue that we are already there. While I do not believe we are in a recession, I think there will be some economic impact as the thousands of multi-family and single family projects come to completion. The primary result being a leveling of housing prices and more competition for rentals, which will shift the current housing markets from a sellers’ advantage to a buyers’ or renters’ advantage.

While this is not anything new in the “ebbs & flows” of supply side economics, communities need to consider another element to lessen the effects of external factors that can cause local recessions, relationships.

The Oxford Dictionary defines relationships as, “the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected.”

We need to cultivate relationships among the various facets of our communities from how our children are educated to the level of service customers receive in retail, hospitality, and professional service businesses. ?

Moving away from transactional business and consumerism to enlightened individuals who realize we can take back our neighborhoods, have the educational systems we desire, and even control who we allow to run local municipalities, if we work together.

At the center of this thought process, is the understanding that everyone has intrinsic needs that involve their emotions and ultimately their habits. How you behave is directly affected by what you believe.

If you believe this life is only about you and what you can get out of it, then you tend to be more selfish in your behavior. You will not hold the door for someone else, let someone back out of a parking space before you drive by, or stop to help a person with a flat tire.

When you truly understand that we are all connected, then your focus changes to the other person’s point of view. You begin to consider the effect your decisions have on others. So, you won’t hold up traffic trying to make a left turn from the right lane or be rude to a waitress because your order isn’t correct.

Instead, you will ask yourself how your response will help or hurt the other person feel valued, appreciated, needed, wanted, safe, smart, or confident.

This mindset is the foundation for building connected communities.

Imagine the changes we would see in our local governments if we required our elected officials to have a “connected” mindset. If instead of being concerned with power and influence their actions were built around providing an educational system with all of the components necessary to not only educate our children but build better people.

Where employers were dedicated to creating exceptional experiences for their customers by creating the same kind of experiences for their employees. Where employers offer those who have made decisions in the past that caused them to lose their freedom, but have paid their debt to society, a second chance to be contributors to our communities.

Communities where customers understand that providing good jobs is expensive and their participation in the process involves paying higher prices but will receive outstanding products and services in return.

Communities where developers and investors take a granular look at communities before building. Find out what the market needs and how their facility will improve the lives of community members. Moving from “if you build it, they will come” to “tell me what you need, and I will make it happen”.

Communities where local municipalities understand the importance of creating good jobs and help by making the process of job creation and quality of life through entrepreneurship simpler and more supportive.

By building connected communities, we will see a natural reduction in crime because we understand how it affects our neighborhoods and the individuals who live in them, but more importantly, we will have services to help individuals before they get to the point of committing the crime.

Relationships between neighborhoods and law enforcement being that of trust and support through mutual respect and constant communication and interaction.

We will see higher graduation rates, as people have more members of their families thriving with good jobs that resulted from our educational systems.??

Most of all building connected communities allows for resilience through economic disruption and collaboration between municipalities, citizens, and businesses. This is not an unattainable goal, we simply have to change the way we think, which will change what we believe, and ultimately the way we behave.