(This week’s civic education and engagement column from Danville’s The Republican newspaper.)
“If this is what they call progress, I don’t want it.” The words vary, but it’s a common sentiment from some of your neighbors when they hear about something that’s changing. “This town was nice when I was a kid, but the politicians are ruining it.” You remember hunting for rabbits where that new supermarket is going to add traffic. “There’s all these new people and they aren’t like us.” You heard there was a break-in in the next addition. “Before, we didn’t have to lock our doors. Now, crime is rampant.”
It’s been said that when humans stop growing, we start dying. The same thing applies to counties and towns. Communities don’t have the luxury of standing still. They either adapt to changing circumstances or risk slowly losing the things that made people want to live there in the first place. Drive pretty much anywhere in rural Indiana or through the small cities that once housed auto plants, and you’ll find places that once were prosperous. You’ll see empty storefronts that were bustling half a century ago. Shuttered small businesses that once fed a dozen families crumbling on the roadside. As the resources dry up, people move away. Food pantries replace grocery stores. Churches get torn down or boarded up. Nice neighborhoods become eyesores.
Most of the people you’ve elected to lead our communities understand that. They know you want to preserve the quality of life you enjoy. They also know that sitting still won’t accomplish what you want. Do you want nicer restaurants and better stores in your community? How about more parks and trails? It takes growth and improvements to make things like that possible. That doesn’t mean every proposed development is good, or that every acre should become another subdivision. Growth needs to be planned and managed carefully.
When a family no longer wants to farm the land they’ve nurtured for generations, they have every right to sell it and benefit from its value. If the demand for housing exceeds the local supply, a developer will probably offer a better price than another farmer. That’s not some secret plan concocted by the town council to destroy everything about your community that you love. It’s a simple matter of economics and people looking after their kids. If we expect top dollar for our own property, we’re only getting what we deserve, right? (We’re not greedy like those other people.)
Two points I’ve made in this space before bear repeating. First, nostalgia is rarely accurate. The town was so much better when you were a kid because your life was better when you were a kid. You spent your days playing and hanging out with your friends, not wondering how you were going to make that mortgage payment or unclog that drain. Your idyllic vision of your childhood community reflects your limited exposure. Things there probably weren’t quite as rosy as your memories. Read a copy of this newspaper from decades ago, and you’ll see crime, worries over growth, and comments that local schools just aren’t as good as they used to be.
Second, growth isn’t being forced upon your community. It’s happening because where you live is such a nice place. Among all the places you’ve been, you’ve chosen to live here. If I asked you why, you could probably rattle off a long list of reasons. Why should it surprise you so many other people want to bring their families here and enjoy the things that are so important to you?
If you miss the days when friendly neighbors knew each other and kept an eye on each other’s kids, do something to recreate it. Have a block party or a pitch-in. Learn the name of that guy in the blue F150 that waves every time he passes. But if you choose to simply sit back and whine that your community is falling apart, don’t be surprised when it happens.