I may be wrong but . . . .

This blog site has been on idle for a few weeks because we’ve moved house and town and there have been more pressing domestic tasks to attend to than typing out my rambling thoughts. But I’m taking time out to mark the relocation from city to town with some early impressions about life in smaller communities.

I’ve lived for several decades in Christchurch (population about 400,000) but have now moved to Motueka (pop said to be around 7000). Apart from the obvious attractions of a milder and softer climate, a more vibrant, greener landscape, proximity to the sea, and the ability to walk or bike safely to most local destinations, plus the desire to pre-retire in a more laid-back setting, it was the philosophy of community that led my wife and me here.

I may be wrong but …… as Western society’s blinkered march to an unsustainable future – in both economic and environmental terms – steadily becomes the reality this country faces, I have become more convinced than ever that the only sensible answer is living within communities.

I don’t mean communes or small, isolated groups of dropouts.  I mean communities which are:

• large enough to provide all the basics for a good standard of living and entertainment and a productive future for coming generations,
• but small enough for its participants to be able to exist without dependency on large amounts of resources outside the community,
• and small enough for the whole of the area to be available and reachable by members without the absolute need for cars (or gumboots),
• and (crucially important to me) small enough that willing individuals can make a difference to the well-being of the whole community, rather than being just a tiny tadpole in a vast lake.

So with this idea at the back of our mind, my wife and I chose Motueka as our new home. Wonderful climate and environment, friendly people and, crucially, everything we’ll really need within a few square kilometres, to share with the other 6998 residents.

The fourth factor in the list – being able to make a real difference – was reinforced to me a few days ago when exploring some of the parks and walking areas of our new home town. We came upon a wetland park near the estuary, a lovely tranquil setting with pukekos, ducks and tuis enjoying natural-looking ponds and large native trees.

A visitor information board within the park told of its history – how it remained a swamp while the town grew, but a resident named Mr Bensemann (doubtless with a bit of money, but more importantly with a generous community spirit) gradually reclaimed and fashioned it, planted it out, and left it for public use (along with some adjacent sports fields).

And I considered how this is made possible within a town this size, and how such gestures make thriving communities what they are. Within real communities, people value other people’s contributions.

In Christchurch there are some much appreciated reserve areas gifted for public use by early owners, but the bulk of the amenities that I used and was aware of were council owned and maintained; nice but anonymous. They were small parts of the city, which some residents knew about but most never frequented. When a community gets to that size (I suggest perhaps bigger than about 50,000 people) then much of what is contributed by members is lost in the urban spread and the busy commerce that makes up city living.

This verbal ramble is not meant to belittle cities and the work of people who live within them. I did my best while I was a city dweller for all those years, but I doubt that many people noticed or benefited. It will be interesting to see if living in a smaller integrated community will provide more ultimate satisfaction and worthwhile participation. At least it should provide a more sustainable way of life.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 at 2:38 pm and is filed under Community living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.