“We are used to what someone else has to do.” How do neighbors form communities and why is this necessary

Photo: Sergey Mikhaylichenko/

It is believed that the pandemic has separated people — and although the restrictions have long passed, the disunity remains. Sociologists and psychologists blame this on entrenched remoteness and digital services that do not require human interaction. Against this background, the request for communication continues to be one of the most important. Hence the trend towards the development of neighborhood communities, which is especially evident in the areas of new buildings. Participants of the Fontanka round table told how and why to unite neighbors.

What is a community?

People are united by responsibility for the territory, says Anastasia Tyueva-Zryakhova, the leader of the project “I live here”.

— We have a theory that it is in new houses that active neighborhood communities are formed, — she explained. — If a person moves into a house built in the 70s, there are often no house chats, no communities, no groups. It is very rare that anyone will go to the neighbors now to ask for a drill. In new homes, where there are already chat rooms, there is more free interaction, but this is organized, among other things, by management companies. Today, perhaps, the neighborhood community and good neighborliness in the old sense of the word are lost, and this is what we are trying to revive in “I live here” through a wide eventfulness near home.

— Numerous psychological studies prove that communication is an important element of human well—being, — says Pavel Melnikov, Director of the Setl Group Project Development Department.Development and self-realization are impossible without socialization. That is why we support the trend of creating neighborhood communities, which are important for creating a favorable living environment. Thanks to them, residents can find like-minded people, solve household issues faster, improve living conditions, build and maintain friendly ties.

As Irina Mezheynikova, director of the Yuntolovo project at Glavstroy St. Petersburg, noted, a significant part of communication has moved to the Internet: work, communication with friends, discussion of hobbies and even some hobbies. And the house should reflect the specifics of modern life: everything important and necessary in it should also be within walking distance. Residents discover common interests that unite them into local communities. Sometimes this happens without the help of a developer or a criminal code, but the latter, for their part, can ensure the mass character of such an organization and help residents take advantage of all the advantages of such associations.

— Firstly, the association of homeowners can apply in an organized manner to departmental commissions and other authorities – and thereby influence the living environment of their complex, — she explained. — That is, a mass petition, for example, on the creation of a police department or the organization of a new form of leisure, will be responded to faster than to targeted appeals. Secondly, neighborhood communities develop volunteerism, mutual assistance, and initiate cultural, sports, or leisure activities together with neighbors. Finally, the neighbors involved become more receptive to what is happening in the neighborhood. They have a need to keep the space in good condition, to refine the environment.

— The neighborhood community is an association of people living nearby to spend time together and solve common issues, — said Angelika Alshayeva, General Director of the Real Estate Agency “KVS”. — Its creation helps people find new friends and like-minded people, spend time together and, of course, make life better together in their neighborhood, neighborhood or even building. In addition, such a community allows for a constructive dialogue between residents and the developer, the Criminal Code.

— It’s great when neighborhood communities are controlled and contribute to the formation of the most comfortable social environment that we all dream of, — says Maxim Zhabin, United State Corporation (LenRusStroy IC). — They strengthen social ties, mutual assistance and help to solve local problems together. We constantly hold events, find loyal project participants and start interacting with them on an ongoing basis. This helps us develop our products and gives us ideas for future projects. Also, we do not stop “supervising” our complexes even after the completion of construction and the transfer of keys.

Mixed roles

Creating a strong community in new areas is a collective responsibility, Pavel Melnikov believes. There is no way to do without the initiative of the residents themselves, but the developer and the management company must participate in the process — this is a collective work.

— So, in the developer’s area of responsibility, it is to lay down all the possibilities for creating good—neighborly relations at the design stage: to provide public spaces, comfortable courtyards and specialized premises, and after renting the house to support clients, answer their questions, organize joint activities, form a specialized and loyal neighborhood community, — he specified.

— In fact, the developer begins to form a neighborhood community even before the start of sales, with an advertising campaign, — Irina Mezheynikova confirmed. — We talk about the new project, about ourselves, about approaches to construction and the main characteristics of apartments. The management company is connected after the keys are transferred. The criminal code does not just do its job and promptly fixes problems, but also positions itself as an assistant, as part of the neighborhood community, interacts with residents on a regular basis, conducts eco-actions, holidays and other various activities.

According to the expert, both the developer and the management company are interested in a strong and friendly community. It is important for the developer to position the residential complex as safe and comfortable, and new customers will definitely join communities, go to social networks to see how friendly the atmosphere is in the neighborhood. That is, good neighborliness increases the recognition and image characteristics of the residential complex. For the management company, it is important to interact with the neighborhood community, because any response — complaints, requests, advice, thanks, etc. — improves the quality of the product.

— This also applies to the developer, including: we accept feedback from residents, try to solve problems in a timely manner and take into account their wishes,” she added. — So, the Yuntolov residents came out with a request for an indoor sports club and a shopping center, and we took these facilities into development. Also, with the support of the developer, public spaces were created on the territory of the residential complex: in Yuntolovo, the Berth rowing club became such a place.

According to Maxim Zhabina, the developer is responsible for the creation of infrastructure and the initial organization of events, the management company is responsible for maintaining order and resolving current issues, and residents are responsible for initiatives and active participation in community life. And only together can you create a truly comfortable environment.

“And it is possible to encourage residents to take an active part through the organization of regular events, the creation of online platforms for communication and information exchange, as well as support for initiatives and projects from residents themselves,” he believes. — In our new project “LesART” we do this using a mobile application.

Of course, both the developer and the management company should participate in creating a strong and friendly community in new areas, Angelika Alshayeva believes. This will help to avoid conflicts between residents, improve the quality and even safety of life: when you know all the neighbors, you will certainly pay attention to a stranger.

“In our projects, we create themed promenades, parks, sports clusters and courtyards for residents to relax,” she says. — And more recently, in May, the first Neighborhood Center was opened in the Olympic quarters of Yugtown, more than 100 people visit the center every week. Here, residents get to know each other, play sports together, dance, watch movies, and attend many interesting events. In addition, residents of the neighborhoods themselves become babysitters for kids, coaches, speakers and community managers of the Center. This helps them find interesting jobs a step away from home.

A human asset

Proactive residents play a key role in shaping the neighborhood community. Angelika Alshayeva believes that they are often the ones who offer interesting entertainment and sports events and become an example for others. You can identify such people through surveys on social networks or during the same events.

— In our residential complexes there are many active residents who hold sports marathons, tournaments, trainings, as well as master classes, and we, in turn, always meet halfway and support the initiatives of residents: we help with the organization, venue, inventory and gifts for participants, – she says.

Anastasia Tyueva-Zryakhova added: activists are good, especially when they have someone to support and guide them.

— Last year we had a joint project with the finance committee “Your budget 2.0”, — she said. — We received 156 applications from residents for various digital services that they lack, communicated with a huge number of initiators and activists, held pitch sessions, trained, talked about budgeting. As a result, out of 156 initiatives, there were 18 that passed all the stages: they conducted all the research, wrote the technical task. Of these, only 6 initiatives were selected, which the city is currently implementing. Activity requires expert support, including from city structures, so that the idea reaches the stage of implementation and is eventually implemented.

— We try to unite active people, encourage them to spend their leisure time and activities together. — Pavel Melnikov noted. — Therefore, we have developed our own concept of good neighborliness — the Setl Community. The plans include holding events, forming a community, online communication platforms and opening community centers in part of the holding’s residential complexes. The goal is to make sure that people start communicating, neighbors know each other, find like—minded people.

Irina Mezheynikova stressed that initiative residents are future opinion leaders, from whom the formation of local neighborhood communities begins.

— I will tell you how to identify such activists using the example of Yuntolovo, — she continued. — Since the introduction of the first house, the developer has organized official groups on social networks, and residents and shareholders have created their own chats and groups. And in this cozy micro-neighborhood, people began to appear who involved more and more neighbors in the community. As a rule, they actively interact with representatives of the developer, the management company, participate in monthly meetings, and form issues for discussion.

The most important thing, according to the expert, is to provide residents with the results of the meetings. If people see that members of the neighborhood community, together with the developer and the management company, have managed to come to some kind of decision, this will motivate them to also get involved and improve their home.

Infrastructure for neighbors

One of the trends in the formation of the community is the creation of neighborhood centers. This is a free-standing building or some kind of space where residents can meet, hold events, and work, Irina Mezheynikova added.

— However, in our opinion, the presence of premises for such an organization is an optional attribute, — she continued. — This may be a community in social networks, which, using the example of Yuntolovo, meets once a quarter with representatives of the developer and municipal authorities. At such meetings, some important issues are resolved or events are initiated – district holidays, eco—actions and sports competitions.

— We are now moving to ensure that the city itself becomes this infrastructure for communities, — says Anastasia Tyueva-Zryakhova. — One of the ideas that we are currently working on is to have a QR code on each sports ground, for example, by which a person can find partners for sports in the neighborhood. Similarly, in the park next to the house there may be a sign with a link to a service that would allow neighbors of nearby houses to organize in this park to practice Nordic walking or dancing together. That is, with the help of urban infrastructure and IT services, people will organize themselves according to the principle of place and leisure.

— The creation of the necessary infrastructure is regulated by the internal standard of the holding — Setl 15′, — Pavel Melnikov continued. — We rethought the concept of a “15-minute city” and conducted a survey of more than 8 thousand people, highlighting important services for residents. We divided them into three groups: “consumer goods” (shops, pick-up points, pet supplies), “education and health” (schools, kindergartens, medical centers and pharmacies), “self-development and communication” (neighborhood and children’s centers, gyms and fitness studios, cafes and restaurants, beauty salons). As it turned out, the creation of neighborhood centers and infrastructure for them is one of the important requests of customers, along with the proximity of social facilities and shops. That is why we are designing spaces that can bring people together, including community centers, which will include a children’s club, a fitness studio, creativity and a coworking space with a coffee point.

— In our projects, we pay special attention to infrastructure and public spaces for meetings and events, — Maxim Zhabin continued. — We have boulevards, promenades, playhouses, spacious courtyards that can reach a hectare or more, playgrounds and sports grounds, neighborhood centers. All this creates opportunities for communication, recreation and the development of neighborhood communities.

Experience and practice

According to Irina Mezheynikova, the history of conscious formation of neighborhood communities began in the West with flea markets, garage sales and family fairs. Then multifunctional spaces with coworking and interest clubs began to appear. In China, neighborhood centers located in separate rooms are created with the mandatory participation of residents — this is a full-fledged community where you can work, gather and discuss something. In Russia, developers are just starting to develop such sites.

Anastasia Tyueva-Zryakhova Adds: since the “I live Here” project explores the needs of residents and their “pains”, we can say that difficulties arise primarily because people lack information. It all starts with not knowing which management company runs the house, when the water will be turned off in the summer season, where there are free places in kindergarten, which clubs and sections are available, etc. When residents are comfortable interacting with the space around, they are already ready to share feedback and get involved, because it turns out that even near the house there is a lot going on events. The next step is to participate in the OSS.

— During the period of operation of our service “Election fraud of the Criminal Code”, the city received +25,000 electronic applications for the cancellation of votes when choosing the Criminal Code. Residents of St. Petersburg have a desire, and after it the opportunity not only to receive services, but also to invest time and effort in improving their lives. In my opinion, this is an absolutely evolutionary process,” says Anastasia Tyueva-Zryakhova.

“The concept of a 15—minute city was put forward by Professor Carlos Moreno as a suitable solution for the sustainable development of good neighborliness,” Pavel Melnikov stressed. — Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has pushed the world towards this process. Another important approach to urban design was developed by urbanist Charles Montgomery and described in the book “Happy City”. The author emphasized how much the atmosphere in different residential complexes differs and proved the thesis, supporting it with research and practice data: there is more happiness where there is more communication. It seems to me that this is one of the vectors for the development of good neighborliness.

Photo: Sergey Mikhaylichenko/

Источник: www.fontanka.ru