How neighborhoods came to matter more over time: A broad historical sketch

The demise of neighbourhood-scale community has been lamented for decades. Tight-knit neighboring has indeed declined. However, its significance is colored by nostalgia. In cities and suburbs, the loosening of neighborhoods has encouraged residents and agents to create imaginary local communities, partly by fashioning local traditions. In changed form, community persists. Underlying it, for those able to choose, are individualistic …