10.5 Options that Enhance Civic and Community Life

In Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Harvard Professor Robert Putnam estimates that every 10 minutes of commuting time reduces weekly civic engagement by 10%.  Residential sprawl, busy lives and lack of convenient public transportation have tended to increase commutes and car trips across the nation.  In 2000, parents in the US were averaging about six car trips per day, and more than 75% of America’s workers over 16 were driving alone to work, up from 64% in 1980.  Adequate housing, jobs, retail, public transit, safe streets and well-maintained sidewalks reinforce support for increased walking and reduce driving time by as much as 20% to 30% per household.   Smart growth or sustainable development policies adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and many communities promote the location of jobs, housing and recreation near public transit. Smart growth reduces suburban sprawl and automobile use by making communities pedestrian-, bicycle- and transit-friendly.   Communities with more people and fewer cars on the street can also reduce emissions, congestion and noise as well as crime, with more “eyes on the street.”  Dense residential neighborhoods, such as Boston’s Back Bay and Beacon Hill—actually the densest in the region—are examples of neighborhoods that offer a balance of housing, jobs, retail stores, public transit access, and walkability.