We don't.
What's the number one thing you wished would change in the place you live in?
I'm not talking about a trip to IKEA for your personal living space. It's something bigger.
Beyond your drive way, your porch.
Your immediate surroundings or even the township that you're in.
When was the last time we paused and reflected on the state its in?
Are there clogged drains, litter, stray animals, broken lights, mosquito infestation, rats, roaches, cracked sidewalks, potholes, unused empty spaces, overgrowth, weeds? Just to name a few.
Maybe you think it'll be nice to finally add more park benches for people to sit in. Or maybe, to have a park to start with.
"Livability" as a concept is not widely discussed on its on, but implied: whether the place has a high quality of living, infrastructure, public transportation, education, amenities, suitable climate, access to jobs. All of these decide whether a place is "livable" or not.
But these factors usually only enter our conversations when we decide to move, relocate, migrate or rent/purchase property.
After that decision is made, we rarely talk about these things anymore, other than the occasional grunt or complaint made in passing, then we get on with our lives.
We dismiss it, because there's nothing you can do about it. Or, at least, that's how you feel.
Maybe you write a letter in protestation or to voice your grievance to your local neighbourhood council.
But halfway through that letter, you know in the back of your mind, that it'll fall on deaf ears.
The battle is half lost.
You don't trust the process, because there isn't one.
So, we settle - settle for the lack of maintenance, settle of the lack of importance placed on making your space more comfortable, settle for incompetence, settle for the blame-game.
How do we solve this and bring livability back into our conversations?
We have to take ownership of the spaces we inhabit and fight.
Fight for our right for more livability.
When a community starts taking ownership of the place they co-inhabit, you'll start to see the conversation shift towards a more concrete and sustainable definition "livability".
Livability as a concept encompasses a wide range of issues relating to overall "quality of life and well-being".
These issues, structured in 5 themes have a theoretical basis in the social sciences and natural philosophy: security, mobility, economic vibrancy, environmentally friendly, socio-cultural conditions.
Livability is also a tangible attribute and property of a space which we live in.
Livability is place-based and there are ways to increase it, enhance it, facilitate it.
Livability or the lack of it, affects our daily well-being & comfort.
Livability affects the taste of the food in our mouths, the sound of music in our ears, the way our children grow up and the feeling of being alive.
Livability is not just a table-topic, brought up over a drink at a Mamak, only to be buried under other more "pressing" concerns like wages, your child's education, or your job.
No, livability is and should be a pressing concern, high up in your priorities as a member of the community.
Livability is a measure of how strong our sense of ownership is.
Ownership of our gardens, our homes, our towns & our cities.
Let's start talking about livability.
What's the number one thing you wished would change in the place you live in?
I'm not talking about a trip to IKEA for your personal living space. It's something bigger.
Beyond your drive way, your porch.
Your immediate surroundings or even the township that you're in.
When was the last time we paused and reflected on the state its in?
Are there clogged drains, litter, stray animals, broken lights, mosquito infestation, rats, roaches, cracked sidewalks, potholes, unused empty spaces, overgrowth, weeds? Just to name a few.
Maybe you think it'll be nice to finally add more park benches for people to sit in. Or maybe, to have a park to start with.
"Livability" as a concept is not widely discussed on its on, but implied: whether the place has a high quality of living, infrastructure, public transportation, education, amenities, suitable climate, access to jobs. All of these decide whether a place is "livable" or not.
But these factors usually only enter our conversations when we decide to move, relocate, migrate or rent/purchase property.
After that decision is made, we rarely talk about these things anymore, other than the occasional grunt or complaint made in passing, then we get on with our lives.
We dismiss it, because there's nothing you can do about it. Or, at least, that's how you feel.
Maybe you write a letter in protestation or to voice your grievance to your local neighbourhood council.
But halfway through that letter, you know in the back of your mind, that it'll fall on deaf ears.
The battle is half lost.
You don't trust the process, because there isn't one.
So, we settle - settle for the lack of maintenance, settle of the lack of importance placed on making your space more comfortable, settle for incompetence, settle for the blame-game.
How do we solve this and bring livability back into our conversations?
We have to take ownership of the spaces we inhabit and fight.
Fight for our right for more livability.
When a community starts taking ownership of the place they co-inhabit, you'll start to see the conversation shift towards a more concrete and sustainable definition "livability".
Livability as a concept encompasses a wide range of issues relating to overall "quality of life and well-being".
These issues, structured in 5 themes have a theoretical basis in the social sciences and natural philosophy: security, mobility, economic vibrancy, environmentally friendly, socio-cultural conditions.
Livability is place-based and there are ways to increase it, enhance it, facilitate it.
Livability or the lack of it, affects our daily well-being & comfort.
Livability affects the taste of the food in our mouths, the sound of music in our ears, the way our children grow up and the feeling of being alive.
Livability is not just a table-topic, brought up over a drink at a Mamak, only to be buried under other more "pressing" concerns like wages, your child's education, or your job.
No, livability is and should be a pressing concern, high up in your priorities as a member of the community.
Livability is a measure of how strong our sense of ownership is.
Ownership of our gardens, our homes, our towns & our cities.
Let's start talking about livability.
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