Are we growing more connected, yet further and further apart? And how does this bode for the resilience of the communities we share? Scott Doyon finds promise as of yet unfulfilled.
For a couple hundred years, people have been cracking jokes at how our technological connections make us more disconnected from each other. Scott Doyon points out how real connections within communities are the cornerstone to resilience:
"In short, communities with strong social ties fare better in times of adversity. So today, thanks in large part to the social web, we’re more connected than ever. But has the often superficial nature of those connections made us any stronger?"
"[I]t’s entirely possible that our hyper-social online world is tricking us into believing we’re connected in more meaningful ways than we actually are. This matters because, for communities to truly thrive over time, two types of connection must also thrive: 1) person-to-person; and 2) people-to-place."
Doyon goes on to explore the ways we inhabit space and nurture relationships. It's not about connecting for connection sake. But rather about sharing "our passions and ambitions, our sorrows and joys, our fundamental need for one another."
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Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research