When I realized that this narrative was written in 1964, it impressed me because of the relevance this issue still holds today. In 1964 the main modes of communication were the telephone and written correspondence. Today, cyberspace provides the ability to interact easily and instantly, without the constraint of geographical proximity. With the advancement in technology, many believe that our physical communities are being threatened and replaced with cybercommunities. Does this mean then that technology should be forfeited for the sake of our physical communities ? I believe that the benefits gained through technology far outweigh the negatives, and that the challenge we face is in our ability to identify and manage the undesirable results of technology.
New urbanism is a term used to describe “a movement in planning designed to enhance localism in urban life” (Walmsley, D., 2000, p. 13). This movement emphasizes local geographical areas as bases for community. Examples include mixed land uses rather than homogeneous zoning, encouragement of street life by emphasizing “walkability” and the fostering of personal interaction.
"New Urbanism puts the emphasis in urban life squarely on “geographic, place-based community, where people have what matters to them most: personal contact made possible through friendlier streets and walkability and variety and personalism” (Matathia & Salzman, 1998, p. 154).When I was a child, neighborhoods were tight communities. We knew all of our neighbors on a personal basis. My friends were the kids on my block. We went to school together and played at home together. My parents knew their parents. If you misbehaved, your parents were informed and your behavior was corrected. My children had a much different experience in that they knew the other children on the block, but as a parent, I did not know many of the other parents. Today, I know only two of my neighbors but only in passing. Advancement in technology is not the only reason for the changes in how our local communities interact; however, it has resulted in the potential for individuals to become more isolated. Recognizing and taking steps to counteract some negative trends our communities are encountering should be pursued.
Personal interaction is important not only in our communities, but also in business. If technology interferes with this need, then we must plan and make allowances to correct this problem. For example, social networking is a great way for people to stay in touch with a large base of people and to communicate across that base, however, it should not be used in place of meeting a friend over a cup of coffee and having that personal interaction. In business, technology should lend support to enable face-to-face negotiations when required and technology should not be used in place of the face-to-face interaction.
In conclusion, negative ramifications due to advancement in technology need to be identified and remedial steps taken. Negative influences that technology brings to homes, communities and societies does not mean that technology is wrong or evil, it means that we need to plan for the impacts and to place boundaries on the affect we allow it to have. I believe that both interaction and place are ingredients which lead to a more complete urban life experience and I welcome the new urbanism approach.
Reference:
Walmsley, D.J. (2000), Community, Place and Cyberspace, Australian Geographer, 31(1), pp. 5-19.
4 comments:
Karen,
I don't know why, but your post brought the issue of home-schooling to my mind. I wonder if a lot of the distance that has been created between people in communities can be attributed to fear? Certainly there are a lot of bad things happening in the world, but has technology enabled people to hide from potential dangers in a lot of ways. When I was a kid I knew all of the neighborhood children and we would play in the street for hours. However, my children rarely play with neighborhood children largely because parents are afraid to let them go outside. Many parents insist on home-schooling because of school shooting horror stories. Which means their kids learn on the internet. My mind is soaring! :)
Interesting and thought provoking blog.
See you soon,
Aron
Karen- I agree with your conclusion (as well as Walmsley's view) that both interaction and place are important! Perhaps we will crave more community because we are so tech-dependent!
New Urbanism housing/philosophy makes sense from an economic perspective.
Has anyone seen some of the New Urbanism housing- or lived in this type of community? Any thoughts?
Janet
Karen:
I found your blog personally very interesting and applicable to many things currently happening in our family.
We have a highly gifted, ADHD, dyslexic daughter. She is 15 years old and we decided, five years ago, to educate her via the Colorado Virtual Academy. This is a public online school. People utilize virtual or home schooling for many different reasons. Our reasoning was driven by our daughter's need for a different environment and structure. It has worked great. To the surprise of many, her social skills have actually improved. This is an example where pulling her out of a physical school environment was a benefit.
We are currently experiencing a "however" which is very much connected to your posting. She is no longer 100% satisfied with the virtual schooling and wants to be a part of a physical school. She wants more academic interaction with teachers and some interaction with student. However, she wants the virtual schooling, as well. We are meeting with school leaders and trying to determine if we can all think out of the box and establish a combined physical/virtual program for her Junior and Senior years. I have my doubts. They have had experience with some independent home schoolers being involved with a few extracurricular events such as sports, band or art; however, we are talking about splitting academic subjects and they really have never been approached in this manner.
This personal scenario is similar to your written thoughts. Technology is here and ever advancing and has the ability to have either a positive or negative influence; however, as a society we have to learn to find a balance between physical society and virtual society. This is exactly what we are trying to accomplish with our daughter's education.
Deb
p.s. I found another interesting article you might like reading. "Cities, Place & Cyberspace by Paul Goldberger, University of California, Berkeley, February 1, 2001 at www.paulgoldgerger.com/lectures/18. He too speaks of finding the balance and using the good of both worlds.
Hi Karen,
I enjoyed your blog as I've enjoyed everyone's. I too remember growing up in a neighborhood where everyone knew everyone else. They were safe places for kids to grow up. I wish this were the same for me today. I know few of my neighbors and keep a close eye on my kids. Its defiantly a new world. I think its sad that I have to have an app on my phone to see how many registered sex offenders live in my neighborhood. That being said, without technology I wouldn't have this information ;)
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