by Tamara M. Freund
Extension intern
Iowa State University Extension to Communities
"If the world had a front porch like we did back then, we'd still have our problems, but we'd all be friends." These aren't just wishful lyrics from last year's hit song by Tracy Lawrence. They voice real desires held by homeowners pining for the small town atmosphere to live, work and raise their families.
People are beginning to realize that the suburban style of identical houses placed around a cul-de-sac doesn't hold the charm or comforts found in a small town. Time spent outside on the back deck surrounded by tall fences or shrubs is isolating. For a half-century, developers have believed that divisional houses with big front lawns in auto-oriented subdivisions are what Americans want.
These building complexes don't satisfy the hopes or needs of many homeowners who are wishing for the informal, friendly atmosphere of a small town. Many people dream of buying a home with a front porch on an old-fashioned tree-lined street with a few shops on the corner. A place where buying a gallon of milk, picking up the kids from school, or even dining out doesn't require a long stressful drive down the local six-lane highway.
Big cities are looking to the rural towns like many in Iowa for models in developing new housing districts. Models of small communities where neighbors still relax on their front porch and call to the neighbors passing by on the sidewalk are ideal. People are beginning to realize that they want to be a part of a community, according to Kate Schwennsen, associate chair for research and extension in the department of architecture at Iowa State University. "They want to have a sense of belonging," she said.
The neighborhoods with an old-style look and layout are being built once more to fill this demand. Neo-traditionalism is the term coined for the returning style in the cities that never left many Iowa small towns. A goal of neo-traditional developers is to create suburban subdivisions that feel more like compete communities and look more like old-fashioned towns. These "neo-traditional" places will look and work like the typical Iowa rural community, with a rich mix of housing types, grid-like street patterns, cultural centers and shopping districts within walking distance.
The streets are designed to encourage walking and socializing among the neighbors. Suburban developments often have no sidewalks and the trees are in the long front yards catering to the automobiles. The neo-traditional neighborhoods have sidewalks and trees lining the streets for pedestrians. Front yards are shallow so that neighbors converse easily between the sidewalks and the front porches.
The porch is a symbol of community, offering an invitation with its front steps reaching out and meeting the sidewalk, drawing passers-by to the comfortable chair or swing. The porch encourages family and neighborly communication.
The porch also is a way for people to get in touch with the outdoors. Flowerpots on ledger, vines climbing trellises and houseplants soaking up sun rays along with the nesting birds, noisy squirrels and feeding hummingbirds create a part of the natural features of a porch.
A front porch not only provides a place to belong to the natural world, but also opens a place for family and friends to gather. The porch is a place to relax and enjoy the casual mood created with the informal furniture and semi-private space. Leaning on the railing or lounging in the porch swing is a comfortable position to bide the afternoon or evening away.
The porch is also a sign of support among the neighbors. A job promotion, graduation, funeral or illness can be common knowledge in a small community so neighbors are likely to join in the celebration or comfort in the tribulation. Neighbors in small communities not only share gardening tools or cooking ingredients, but also the joys and pains of one another. This reaching-out is where the sense of belonging is strengthened among neighbors.
So come back to the front porch. Help create a neighborhood community.
Contacts:
Terry L. Besser, ISU
Extension Sociology, (515) 294-6508
Del Marks, ISU Extension
Communication Systems, (515) 294-9807
