Why communities?
A community can be defined as the following:
a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common
a group of people living together and practising common ownership
a particular area or place considered together with its inhabitants
a body of nations or states unified by common interests
denoting a worker or resource designed to serve the people of a particular area
the people of a district or country considered collectively, especially in the context of social values and responsibilities; society
the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common
a group of interdependent plants or animals growing or living together in natural conditions or occupying a specified habitat
(source)
As we interact with individuals and our surroundings we inevitably create communities of sorts - be it your neighbourhood, country of residence, workplace or the ecosystem where you live.
Being in communities also has its benefits. A variety of studies indicate that the quality and quantity of social relationships impact the most on the health of an individual. Just as we have a basic need for food and shelter, we also have a basic need to belong to a group and form relationships.
(Comparison of odds of decreased mortality across several conditions associated with mortality. Source: Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review, Holt-Lunstad, 2010)
Increasing number of studies indicate positive effects of being in or with nature. Window views with trees and grass have been shown to allow patients to recover faster in hospitals (source) and students perform better in school (source). Being around trees also helps us to be kind and generous (source)
“Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god.”
Aristotle, Politics
While being a god has its merits, at Urban Digestor we acknowledge our part in communities and seek to consciously co-create sustainable ones.
