Confidence is important. When someone has confidence, we trust them to be a leader. Confidence is also important for economies. Since the US went off the gold standard, the only thing backing the US dollar, and therefore its economy, is confidence that it will remain strong.
Confidence is also important for neighborhoods and cities. This is one of the messages of Strong Towns. When people keep their houses and yards in good shape, others have confidence in that neighborhood. When I fix up my house or repair my sidewalk, then my neighbor can be confident that her money spent to maintain her house will not be wasted by being situated in a decaying neighborhood. Confidence in my neighborhood gives me confidence in my own property.
An example used by Strong Towns authors is house painting. If my house needs to be repainted, then I’m going to research the cost. As I do that, I’m also going to evaluate my neighbors’ houses to see what state the exteriors are in. If they look good and they’re being kept up, then I have confidence that the cost in time and materials to paint my house is worth it. If the other houses in my neighborhood look worse than mine, then I might have second thoughts about dropping the money and/or time on painting my house. That’s confidence (or lack of it). If everyone in my neighborhood concludes that it’s not worth putting money into our houses, then all of the houses will degrade, and our neighborhood as a whole will degrade commensurately. If we see houses and property in good order around our town, then we can be confident to undertake the maintenance and improvements we want to make.
This principle works with cities as well. If the city maintains the parts of my neighborhood that they’re responsible for, then I’ll be more inclined to maintain my part of the neighborhood. If my city neglects the road in front of my house, then I might think twice about fixing my sidewalk and driveway. Confidence breeds confidence. A lack of confidence drains existing confidence.
I thought about this last week as I walked my dog Sirius. We bought our house and moved to our corner lot in town a year ago. This entire time, the house to the north of us has been vacant. The house to the east of us has been vacant for several months since the owners had to move to a care facility. Both properties recently sold. The one to the north was purchased by a young couple with children who are relocating to town. The house to the east was purchased by investors who are fixing it up to rent. Both of those purchases are evidence of confidence in my neighborhood. Around the corner from me to the east, someone is building a new four-plex on what was a vacant lot. I know that some of my neighbors are anxious about this, but I’m excited. We have a shortage of housing in town, and it’s excellent to see that someone has the confidence to invest in such a building. A couple of blocks to the south is another section of town that has seen some improvements. There are two rental houses, then a former bakery, then the town square. One of the rental houses was re-sided this summer, and now looks welcoming and cared for. The old bakery building was sold and has been remodeled to become the office of a real estate firm. The renovation of the commercial building and the residing of the rental house have completely changed the look of the block.
In the year since we’ve moved here, there have been many houses that have had roofs replaced, siding done and other improvements made. New businesses move in where an old business moved out. These are confidence builders for me and others who live and work in my neighborhood and my town. Seeing property around me being maintained and improved motivates me to keep my property in good condition and looking its best.
Local businesses have invested in their properties this year as well. Along one side of our town square, one business had their brick facade sandblasted and repaired this summer. The coffee shop is developing their second floor to have a couple of airbnb rooms. The historical society is completely renovating part of their building. On the south side, a new events business moved in this past year, and has done some nice work in their unit. On the north side, a dance studio has been fixing up their building as well.
Small, regular improvements are a good way to move forward. It’s in the little bets that say “we know we’re in this for the long haul”. Sirius and I walk around town a lot. We like to walk in our town square. When I see the updates and investments that people are doing to their properties, houses and businesses, I’m happy that I’ve moved here. It is evident to me that Williamsburg, both the city and its residents, are improving their community in small, incremental ways. That shows that we have confidence in our place.