In his 1995 book, "Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital", Robert Putnam made a clear case that Americans are becoming more isolated from one another than ever before. You can likely see this manifesting in your personal life all around you. Per recent surveys and questionnaires, Americans say that they have fewer friends than ever before with 49% saying they have three or fewer friends. This is a massive increase from the 27% who said the same in 1990. This is not a trend that most people want to see continue. Many are looking for ways to reverse course and begin to build resilient and connected communities. At Campbell & Mance, we seek to build communities where people form real and lasting connections.
How Land Developers Can Help Build Communities
It might seem like the only role of land developers is to create the physical structures that people will live in. However, there is a more active role for land developers to play in today's world. At Campbell & Mance, we approach this with a strategy:
Focus on Environmental Sustainability
When we create a new project, we think about the long-term viability of that project. This is why the environmental sustainability of the projects that we work on is something that we care about deeply. We understand that if a community does not have environmentally sustainable structures, then they aren't going to be desirable for future tenants.
Create Community Spaces
One of the top roadblocks that some people have to form the kind of social bonds that they would like to form boils down to not having a shared space to meet other people. Neighborhoods should be constructed in such a way that they include community spaces where people can gather and get to know one another. Examples of these types of spaces include:
Courtyards
Picnic areas
Gardens
Dog parks
Outdoor recreational areas
Playgrounds
Covered patios
Any of these areas can be used by people in the community. They can come together and put together special events and other reasons to get together. The most important thing about this is that everyone knows where the place is and knows that they are invited to join the group. Sharing a physical space like this is an excellent way to begin to grow a sense of community.
Consider the Tenants That Live There
Land developers must carefully consider what kind of tenants are likely to live in a specific area. At Campbell & Mance, we always think about the people that are most likely to set up their homes in a community that we have constructed for them. Different demographics are likely to prefer different types of communal gathering spaces. We always keep this in mind when creating spaces.
Why Sustainability Must Take a Priority
Protecting the environment is top of mind for many people these days. A recent survey conducted by NielsenIQ found that 78% of US consumers state that sustainability is important to them. They are thinking about it in terms of everything that they buy and in the actions that they take. You can bet your bottom dollar that they are interested in living in a community that has been sustainably created as well.
Here at Campbell & Mance, we have always put sustainability at the top of our list of priorities. Not only do we do this because we feel that it is the morally right thing to do, but also because we know that it is good for our business model as well. We offer the following services in a fully sustainable fashion:
Project Design
From the moment we get our hands on a new project, we begin to create a design scheme that will allow us to create the kind of sustainable communities that we believe are the future. We go step-by-step to create a full set of sustainable practices during this planning stage of the construction project.
Construction Management
Our clients expect us to deliver the highest quality in every project that we do. They don't want to sacrifice the luxury that they have come to expect, but they also want to ensure that their project is environmentally friendly as well. We work hard to keep both of these objectives in mind at the same time.
Site Evaluation
We comb through every site to make sure it has the potential to nurture a sustainable community. We think about the future growth of the community, but we also make sure that its growth will be sustainable based on the environmental principles that we truly believe in.
Cost Modeling
Everyone cares deeply about the total cost of their construction project, no matter what. This is why we are committed to full transparency when it comes to the total cost of the work that we are doing. We keep our clients up to date with the cost projections of their projects. We always want to ensure that they are comfortable with those costs so they know what the final price tag will be for the work they need to be done by our team.
Construction
Finally, we get down to the most exciting part of all, the construction of your environmentally friendly project. The construction of the project is a critical step that must be monitored very carefully. After all, we want to make sure that the construction project that we complete for you adheres to the sustainability mission that we have touted so heavily, and we always do exactly that.
We follow this step-by-step process with every project we work on. It helps us create beautiful and sustainable communities that individuals want to flock to. While others might fret about the cost of keeping their communities environmentally friendly, we consider the sustainability focus that we have to be one of the greatest assets that we have going for us. Campbell & Mance projects bring people together and also work on creating a sustainable and beautiful space at the same time. It helps secure the happiness of our residents and protects the environment all at the same time. We believe it is the way of the future.
Comments