“Social networking platforms drove man closer to those in neighboring continents, while driving him further apart from those in his neighborhood.”
-Mokokoma Mokhonoana, South African author and social critic
I want you to do a little thinking about what your neighborhood - or maybe another one nearby - really needs. Last weekend a friend called and said, “I had to call you, because I just had a ‘Jeff Sherman moment.’” He’d driven to his favorite butcher shop in Milwuakee’s Bay View neighborhood, Buddy’s Meat Market, only to find it wasn’t open yet. Sure, he should have checked the hours online or called, but he didn’t, so he suddenly had an hour to kill. Instead of heading home, he decided to walk around for a bit. Half an hour later, he was amazed - discovering new places and even new streets he’d never noticed from his car.
I laughed, but I knew what he meant.
It reminded both of us how important it is to get out of our cars and actually experience a city - especially neighborhoods that aren’t our own. When we walk, we see things differently: how a street feels, how storefronts invite us in, how people use the spaces. It gives us perspective, insight, and ideas — things we can bring back to our own communities.
So here’s a little motivation for you: carve out some time, even just an hour. Pick a neighborhood you don’t visit often. Park the car. Walk. Look at the storefronts, the signage, the sidewalks. Jot down what works - what feels inviting, what doesn’t, where you feel comfortable and where you don’t.
That’s placemaking and community-building 101 - the kind that happens outside the digital world, where we live, work, and play in real spaces.
And who knows? Maybe what you notice sparks an idea for a new business, or an insight to share with local leaders.
Get out of the car. Walk. And create.