In an era of swift changes, maintaining close relationships with neighbours has become a thing of the past to the point that most people barely know them. This phenomenon is mostly driven by unprecedented growth of urbanization, coupled with technological advances and hectic schedules, but it is possible to improve connections between neighbours through an organization of community events and construction of shared spaces.
Neighbours do not know one another mostly due to the introduction of large cities. No longer do we live in a time when there were only a handful of families in one neighbourhood. This is attributable to a rise in population which has precipitated an urgent need to build more and fast to provide people with shelter, prompting cities to absorb surrounding villages and create one metropolitan urban area filled with millions of residents. Since there are more people now, it is physically impossible to know all of them.
Aside from the influence of urbanization, inventions in the field of technology have completely changed the way people interact. Before the advent of social networking sites and instant messengers, face-to-face communications played a crucial role in forming bonds. By contrast, it is more common to encounter people preferring to have connections in online communities rather than in their physical counterparts. A good case in point is forums like Quora and Reddit, which have achieved in gathering millions people to share various life experiences online. Such technological advancements have definitely depreciated the value of offline relationships, including those with neighbours.
Last but not least, busy lifestyles deprive people of the opportunity to communicate with their family members, let alone neighbours. Economic challenges such as job insecurity and high inflation rate have placed individuals amidst constant worries. In order to build a reliable future in such an unpredictable world, people have become hyper-focused on their careers by spending majority of their time in the workplace, leaving them no chance for socializing. However, there is still a possibility to improve this situation.
The first way to do so would be to gather people from the same area for various community events. This can be more effective if such festivities are organized on holidays, because people are naturally drawn to spend cheerful occasions by being surrounded with others. For instance, picnics filled with various team-building events and competitions will foster a sense of belonging while simultaneously helping people to find those with common interests, eventually resulting in more serious friendships.
Furthermore, there is another side to this problem. Even if people wanted to have get-togethers with their neighbours, it might be challenging for them to find a shared space such as parks to spend time. This is especially true for those living in large urban areas, as such places are full of concrete skyscrapers. So, constructing common areas with green spaces in neighbourhoods can encourage people to engage in activities together.
To conclude, the diminishing closeness among neighbours are directly caused by demanding lifestyles, an expansion of cities and technological inventions. However, this trend is feasible to solve. Addressing the need for shared spaces and fostering face-to-face interactions through the organization of community events can revoke a sense of togetherness in neighbourhoods.