Today, however, innovative builders are bringing back the porch. In a surprising reversal of attitude, many families are now demanding a place to hang a bench swing and set a worn wicker rocker—if they’re lucky enough to find one.
The lives of children in retro communities, even with their new Craftsman-style affluence, are no more idyllic than those of children in the 1950s. As kids grow up, family time seems to become rare at any economic level. But a short browse on the Internet reveals the same longing articulated over and over again. The words in numerous essays and sermons and on bulletin boards and personal websites confirm what people want: to rebuild a sense of community. The conversation expresses a kind of universal hunger for symbols that facilitate belonging. Since we function in so many isolated spheres, again and again we are saying that we want public greens, sidewalks, and front porches.
In fact, one citizen prophet appeals for every building and houø to have a “gift” to the Street: a porch that invites interaction, Porches are the intermediary element between the privacy wt know inside our homes and the public face of the world rushing by. Experts say such spaces seem the most appropriate places to play out essential social rituals.
Speaking of social rituals, one Web user says she grew up in a Sicilian neighborhood where “women yelled at each other across porches.” Another notes that our national folk music was born on front porches in small rural towns—and that folk music became the way we talked to each other, commiserated, encouraged each other, and addressed our commonalities.