Building for our future.
The difference between a house and a home is very subtle and yet vitally important. A house may stand on its own, empty and bare. A home on the other hand embodies the concept of warmth and nurturing. The transformation from a house to a home is made by the people who live there. So an important question that we should be addressing is how can we, as developers, encourage and assist people to make that transition.
When houses become homes, streets can become communities, and the people who inhabit them can become more than just next door neighbours.
We know that design plays a big part in how people interact with one another. Designs must be secure and safe. But is it possible to nurture by design? My feeling is that people give as good as they get and as developers we are responsible for what they get so there is at least some potential.
Unfortunately though, we are also constrained. Often shackled by legislation that may be well intended but is less than functional and by the pressure of having to sell competitively to maintain our cash flows. Perhaps if some of our own ties were undone we would have a chance to pass the benefits through.
The fear is that we, as a community, will not act responsibly and this may well be true judging from past experience. That banner is then passed to homeowners, who are also expected to behave irresponsibly. That is why we attempt to curb that behaviour by design. And yet giving individuals the opportunity to behave responsibly on their own is one of the most empowering things anyone can do.
The question is: can we trust them to take up the challenge. Or more to the point, can we be trusted with more responsibility? I for one would like to be given the oppportunity to find out.
When houses become homes, streets can become communities, and the people who inhabit them can become more than just next door neighbours.
We know that design plays a big part in how people interact with one another. Designs must be secure and safe. But is it possible to nurture by design? My feeling is that people give as good as they get and as developers we are responsible for what they get so there is at least some potential.
Unfortunately though, we are also constrained. Often shackled by legislation that may be well intended but is less than functional and by the pressure of having to sell competitively to maintain our cash flows. Perhaps if some of our own ties were undone we would have a chance to pass the benefits through.
The fear is that we, as a community, will not act responsibly and this may well be true judging from past experience. That banner is then passed to homeowners, who are also expected to behave irresponsibly. That is why we attempt to curb that behaviour by design. And yet giving individuals the opportunity to behave responsibly on their own is one of the most empowering things anyone can do.
The question is: can we trust them to take up the challenge. Or more to the point, can we be trusted with more responsibility? I for one would like to be given the oppportunity to find out.
