Next door strangers podcast Hello and welcome to this podcast brought to you by That's English!, the Spanish Ministry of Education's official distance learning English course. To find out more about That's English! go to www.thatsenglish.com or contact your local Official School of Languages. Kate: Good morning, Drew! What's the matter? You look exhausted. Drew: Oh, I'm fine...it's just that I've been burning the candle at both ends. Kate: I see...Did you go out last night? Drew: No, no...I don't usually go out in the week as I have to get up really early. Kate: So what were you up to, then? Drew: Just reading...I got really engrossed in an article about urban anonymity. Kate: How do you mean? Drew: Well, the fact that nowadays our neighbours are often complete strangers. Kate: That's true...I remember my grandmother telling us about how, when she was a little girl in Newcastle, in the north of England, all the neighbours would get together to hold street parties to celebrate Guy Fawkes on 5th November or May Day, and now you probably don't even know the name of the person who lives in the flat on the opposite side of the landing. Drew: Exactly, that's precisely what I was reading about. Kate: So why is it then that now our next door neighbours are more like next door strangers? What has made us lose our good neighbourly behaviour? Drew: Well, the article talked about the evolution of cities and social architecture in the States, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of what it said could also apply to the UK and other European countries. It said that it was at the turn of the twentieth century when the great urban metropolises, like New York for example, really started to grow. The new industrial growth attracted waves of immigrants who created close-knit communities in clearly defined areas within each town where they shared public spaces such as schools, markets and churches and most likely worked in the same factories. So we could say that because they had similar lifestyles and income levels, they felt close to their neighbours and more willing to share aspects of their lives with them. Kate: So they reproduced a village-like community in each neighbourhood... Drew: In a way, that's right. Now this has all changed with the stampede of the white middle-class to the suburbs in the '80s and '90s. Kate: Did you say 'stampede'? Drew: Yes, I did. Just to give you an example, in the 1980s Chicago lost 18 percent of its white population. You know, more affluent people preferred to have more space and live in single-family homes in healthier, greener areas and commute into town to go to work. Kate: Yes, I think something similar happened in the UK. Drew: So this "white flight" changed the social architecture of the metropolises and urban neighbourhoods became synonymous of poor, black areas plagued by drugs and crime. Kate: I see...so we could say that this broke the neighbourhood spirit. Drew: In part, though it's true that community centres and different church organisations did a lot to bring neighbourhoods together. But at the same time, the people who had moved to the suburbs lost the feeling of community and became more isolated from their neighbours. In recent years, a new phenomenon called "gentrification" is posing another threat to inner-city districts. Kate: Oh yes, I've heard a lot about that. It's when new people come to live to the centre of big cities. But why is that a problem? I would have thought that if more inhabitants are returning to city centres, there'll be more investment and more services. Drew: Well, as often is the case, what's good for some is bad for others. Gentrification more often than not means that the lower-income "old" residents become economically marginalised. Kate: In what way? Drew: Well, because the new arrivals tend to have higher purchasing power. They're richer and can afford more expensive apartments in renovated or newly built constructions and they demand retail establishments and amenities, things like shops and restaurants, that are more sophisticated but also more expensive. Kate: So, what you're saying is that everything suddenly becomes more expensive and this can cause old residents to feel resentment towards their new neighbours. Drew: That's right. Basically, the people who are most critical of gentrification say that it destroys the "soul" of the neighbourhood, its character and the sense of sharing and belonging to one's own little patch of town. Kate: It seems, then, that the type of property you live in and sharing similar levels of income with your neighbours contribute towards creating close-knit communities. Drew: So it would appear. Obviously, the house or apartment where you live depends on what you can afford. Kate: Do you think it makes a difference if you rent or buy? Drew: Well, the article didn't mention that but I think it probably does. It's logical to assume that if you decide to buy a property you intend to settle down, long term, right? Kate: So you'll be more interested in getting on well with your neighbours, if only for the sake of having a quiet life. And what about living in a house or a flat? How can that affect the relationship between neighbours? Drew: Well, it's difficult to say. If you live in an apartment block, you may have a greater chance of coming across your neighbours in the hallway and this might help to spark off a relationship. On the other hand, you're probably more likely to bother or be bothered by your neighbours, you know, by playing music too loud, or partying into the early hours... Kate: Or walking around in high heels on a wooden floor! Drew: Oh, that's right. I remember there used to be a lady living on the floor above me who would do just that on Sunday mornings. It used to drive me crazy. Kate: Yes, I can imagine. But, you know, I don't think neighbours in housing estates get on much better. Drew: That's probably true...Barbecues tend to be real bones of contention (if you'll pardon the pun) in many condominiums. But you probably see your neighbours more if you're out in the yard gardening or cleaning the car... Kate: Yes, but you might also suffer the pressure of trying to keep up with the Joneses... Drew: Oh, I know what you mean. My dad used to live in a condo in Palm Beach and he had a neighbour like that. If Dad bought a new lawn mower, for example, you could bet your bottom dollar that this guy would buy a bigger and better one. It was really incredible. Kate: But at least it's better to have that kind of relationship with your neighbour than no relationship at all, don't you think? Drew: Oh, definitely...but to be honest I think recently it's new technologies that have contributed most to the loss of our neighbourly spirit. Kate: Do you mean to say that nowadays people would rather stay at home and chat on Skype than with their neighbours? Drew: Well, you know, it's worse than that and often less obvious...you walk the dog with your earphones on, listening to music, rather than chatting to your fellow dog owners. Or you do the weekly shop online so you know longer bump into your neighbours in the supermarket... Kate: So what you're saying is that the global village is actually killing our neighbourly spirit. Drew: Well, I wouldn't go as far as to say that, but it is certainly clear that we seem to have a closer relationship with our online pals, than with the people that live just round the corner or in the same apartment building. Kate: Turning us into next door strangers rather than next door neighbours. Drew: Well, sadly, that seems to be right. Drew: We hope you have found this podcast interesting. And you will find the article Next- Door Strangers: The Crisis of Urban Anonymity in the link at the end of the transcript. We hope you have enjoyed this podcast, brought to you by That's English! Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to hearing from you. Bye for now! http://iasc-culture.org/THR/THR_article_2017_Summer_Dunkelman.php