Every Sunday, I read the paper in print, a ritual I protect no matter how busy the week's been. This week, the New York Times Sunday Business cover stopped me: "Here's Your New House. It Comes With Friends." I got genuinely excited, because it's basically my own philosophy, Community Creates Value, showing up as the lead story.
For all the attention we give a home's physical characteristics, square footage, finishes, the view, the experience of living somewhere comes down to the people around you. The neighbor who becomes a lifelong friend. The spot where you always run into someone. The place where there's freedom to let your kids wander and know someone's watching out for them.
We tend to treat that as something that just happens once people move in. I don't think it does. I've spent enough time in my own town's meetings on sidewalks, crosswalks, and downtown planning to know that whether people actually run into each other is designed, whether anyone intends it or not.
The developments that hold their value aren't the ones with the longest amenity list. They're the ones that give people a reason to show up, again and again, and build something with the people around them.
Community is something we do with intentionality, not something we leave to chance. I love working with developers who bring that same intention from day one.