It Takes a Village

By: J. David Chapman/August 3, 2023

We’ve all heard the saying “it takes a village to raise a child.” Have you thought about applying the village concept to older adults to enable them to age in place? How about a potential solution for the epidemic of loneliness we are experiencing in the U.S.? The village community model can be used to help aging in place with the type of interdependent living that helps make aging alone possible. It can help foster mentoring relationships, adding a multi-generational influence to a neighborhood-creating community. This concept is being deployed in “pocket neighborhoods,” but should be expanded into other neighborhoods and city areas.

Naturally, these communities with a village concept tend to be higher density with mixed-use buildings. One key is sharing of public spaces. We see co-housing solutions frequently as well. Social gathering is a key component in the mix utilizing community green spaces and community buildings. We tend to see small units for starter homes and larger homes to accommodate expanding families.

A vital, robust village has consistent essential elements or patterns in the built environment. When coming off the perimeter, there must be something to celebrate the arrival and passage into the community. Once in the community, there should be a network of pathways to get from place to place with periodic nodes, or places of interest, along the way and all the pathways should lead to a distinct central common area where residence are welcome.

Villages are characterized by an intentional balance of objects and common spaces with opportunities to rest along the way. They typically have gateways from one environment to another to signify the change of place. The whole village concept can be punctuated with periodic artistic expression, especially in places like porches and verandas. Porches are generally large and provide a private, outdoor sanctuary and make a commitment to the public space. When these efforts at placemaking are achieved, people will thrive together as a community and research is finding benefits in mental health and general well-being.

The village community model has a social infrastructure that is self-governed. Individual homes are owned separately; however, the land and common elements are owned collectively. This system of ownership and organization makes interacting with other essential and necessary. In my opinion, the world needs a lot more villages providing natural support.

J. David Chapman is a professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).