The dog days are upon us. The sun's shining (at least some days). The hydros are running. The sidewalk cafés are full of happy eaters. Nothing's getting done in the offices, because someone responsible for signing off on that next important deal is always on vacation, somewhere in that corner of eastern Oregon where cell phones still don't work.
And it's the time of year when the joys of apartment living are the most evident. In the short, gray days of S.A.D. season, residents are known to dash in and out of their units, spending as little time as possible in their buildings' public areas, spending as little time as necessary outside their cocooned units. Aside from the occasional trick-or-treat night or house Christmas party, residents who haven't already developed friendships with one another might only converse in passing at the mailboxes, to trade complaints about the insufficient heat or the noisy plumbing.
But with the arrival of warmer weather, folks are more apt to socialize, even among their normally estranged neighbors.
They invite one another to deck parties and rooftop BBQs. They hang around in the lobby, or beat the heat together in the basement laundry room. They show up on the lawn, sitting on folding plastic chairs or lying on beach towels. Why, sometimes they're even known to wave and smile at one another. (Imagine that!)
With our city officials promoting the high-minded civic goal of "density," more of us will be living in multi-unit buildings. With the regional housing market still hyper-inflating, many of us will be continuing to live in rental units for a while to come. Thus, the apartment life will remain a big part of the Hill's, and the city's, social whirl.
The question, then, is how to make it a more sociable existence, a more mutually supportive one, and not just when the weather's warm. To turn mere "buildings" into true "communities."
The city tries to help by supporting neighborhood block parties this time of year. But it's easy to bring folks together in the summertime. It's more necessary therest of the time. You have to contrive the spontaneity somehow; and that's always a trick. Do it poorly, and you have parties where everybody's invited and nobody shows. Or, you get "community improvement" meetings where all anybody wants to do is gripe about the building management or about the block's latest NIMBY cause-du-jour.
There's a whole science about designing urban spaces to encourage public use and cultivate social interaction. The folks who run apartment buildings have seldom bothered to study this science. To your stereotypical old-time, cigar-chompin' landlord, promoting sociality was an unnecessary expense, one that could even lead to tenants organizing and making demands.
But in today's business climate, some building operators are learning to foster a sense of community. It helps give tenants more of a sense of belonging, leading to more respect for the place and less vandalism and trashing. Some buildings are promoting a "one big family" atmosphere as a selling point, hoping people will pay a little more in rent to live where they'll feel more at home.
Just look at classic TV shows ("The Honeymooners") or movies ("Singles," "Fur") or novels (George Perec's "Life: A User's Manual"). They often depict people who aren't related by blood or marriage, but who become close friends simply out of physical proximity. Or think back at old scenes of tenement moms gossipping across a shared clothesline, or of kids playing stickball in the street. People learning naturally to trust, argue, share, and care for one another. That's what we need more of, all year round.
One simple thing many buildings could do: Create a sit-down or stand-up indoor chit-chat area. Put it in or near the main entrance if that's feasible, or in the laundry room, or in that awkward little side unit that nobody seems to stay in for longer than two months.
Encourage its use by seeding it with decent cast-off furniture, a microwave, a coffee machine, an old board game or two, an old TV. Organize house parties for reasons real (the next "Survivor" finale, the next election debate) or surreal (the 53rd anniversary of the first dog in outer space).
As it catches on, let the space take on a life of its own. Encourage folks to decorate it, to add their discard paperback books and knick-knacks. Encourage residents to form book clubs, meditation classes, knitting sessions, role-playing-game tournaments. Help turn a house into a home, and a home into a true community.
Clark Humphrey's column appears in the first issue of each month. His long-running Web site on popular culture is www.miscmedia.com. He can be reached at editor@capitol hilltimes.com.
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