I think a lot of colleges do a good job of fighting lonliness. Colleges have to worry about stressed students, overworked students, mental health issues, suicide rates, because parents pay a ton of attention to these things.
As a result, I think a lot of elements of campus life are things that adults could borrow from to improve their own quality of life.
I'm curious what would happen if municipalities tried to become like universities:
- City sponsored interest clubs (over 300 and it only takes 10 people and a sponsor to start one!!!)
- City created dining halls in every neighborhood within a 10 minute walk where one pays a reasonable rate to eat there - heck even do a privatized model so cooks can consider creating one where they get subsidies per person, some sort of revenue split, and one of the only requirements being to have a "dining hall" style eating area that encourages social interaction. This could even be folded into food assistance programs where people can go and eat at these for a reduced price.
- City government health clinics for easy referral and access (Boston actually has a somewhat comparable model to this, I'm sure others do too, but listing it because it feels like a college thing)
Let's go with those three for now. The questions:
How many people would live here?
What percentage local tax would they accept to fund this?
I think this is actually a really interesting road to go down.
>City created dining halls in every neighborhood within a 10 minute walk where one pays a reasonable rate to eat there.
Why would the city do this? It sounds like you're describing the Golden Corral. In any case, if you can demonstrate that people will regularly show up to an open-plan cafeteria to socialize then let's forget about changing local government (which is corrupt and inefficient) and start this restaurant ourselves.
Eh I'm not saying it's perfect but I think a few pieces are missing from your version:
- The government subsidized price to make it a low enough cost because it's certainly can't be as expensive as a golden corral
- The incentive for a private restaurateur to want to open one of these
This is where the government can actually help make something, which could be funded by a reasonably modest tax if people were willing to pay it.
> changing local government (which is corrupt and inefficient)
All the more reason to work to change it IMO. I bet part of the reason it gets corrupt so easily is because few actually care given how little it really does for them (when the essentials like trash are on autopilot and many other issues don't affect the average resident that directly). While not without its risks and complications, a more involved local government can also mean a more politically aware and involved base of citizens. If a city actually did all these things, local policy changes would actually have a bigger effect that residents would care about.
This is all a very rough draft, I'm sure there are plenty more holes in this. But I think it would be interesting to spend some more time ironing it out.
so the restaurant will be funded mainly on taxes of the people living in this city instead of the food itself? Like some sort of all inclusive resort or cruise?
Will citizens take out loans to live in the city just like college?
Admittedly I'm not from the US , but regardless I get the feeling that you might be seeing government subsidies for public services as more bizarre and infrequent than they actually are.
Does public transport ever get subsidized at the local government level in the US? Would this make the idea of catching a subway or bus as bizarre to you as the idea of taxpayer-subsidized community food halls?
I'm not sure what ratio makes sense but let's say 50/50 taxes/paying. They are paying with taxes, there's no need for loans. It also means they have a cheap subsidized food option with the ability to socialize at the same time. The restaurants could also have other community center like aspects too.
There's also no reason it has to be AYCE style, it could just be cheap subsidized food markets with communal eating encouraged in every neighborhood. Great way to get to know neighbors as well.
50/50 taxes/paying for who? Someone who makes $30k and someone who makes $300k might both only eat $10k of food a year, would the tax be a flat fee or a % of income?
If it's a flat fee, it could be done as a business, akin to how costco works where they wholesale you food for a membership.
This suggestion reminds me a lot of Singapore and their HDB-owned hawker centers. An HDB is a government-owned housing development with a lot of similarities to a college dorm campus, and each one typically has a large hawker center (aka food court), and they are wildly successful.
IKEA in Shanghai had many elderly people socializing in their cafeteria, so IKEA ended up forcing the seniors to buy something if they wanted to sit there:
Take a look at the public housing system in Singapore ("HDB towns"), which is very similar to what you are describing, and over 80% of the Singapore population resides in.
Some snippets from the wikipedia page [1]:
> These flats are located in housing estates, which are self-contained satellite towns with schools, supermarkets, clinics, hawker centres, and sports and recreational facilities.
> Each public housing block is considered a vertical community, with common area built into the design to promote social interaction. Void decks, a term unique to Singapore, refers to the first level which are often left devoid of housing units, hence the word "void". These open, sheltered spaces are intentionally left empty to provide convenient spaces for communal activities such as weddings, funerals, parties, bazaars and even as polling stations.
> Based on the new town concept, each HDB town is designed to be self-sustainable. Helmed by a hierarchy of commercial developments, ranging from a town centre to precinct-level outlets, there is no need to venture out of town to meet the most common needs of residences. Employment can be found in industrial estates located within several towns. Educational, health care, and recreational needs are also taken care of with the provision of schools, hospitals, parks, sports complexes, and so on.
Each housing development also usually includes at least 1 hawker center [2], which is basically like a government-run and regulated food court, and is where the majority of Singaporeans get their meals. The community usually also usually includes some type of sports/recreational space such as a soccer field or community pool, a school, a library branch, and usually a clinic or doctors office.
Each one is also built around or in proximity to a metro station to ensure easy access to other HDB communities or other parts of the city, should you choose to venture outside your neighborhood.
I would love to live in a city like this and I honestly believe this kind of setup is the only reasonable one to ask for in our future.
It would be important for such spaces to give the people the power to be actively involved in shaping how they develop. Sustainability practices, labor practices, where the food is sourced (i.e. not pizza school lunches that send tax money to large food corps), local artists paid to decorate, etc.
Unsurprising, socialist governments put a lot of effort on socializing people.
OTOH the US private transportation, education, housing is preferred to public one and that has social effects. Also gated communities, single-family houses, gentrification, and so on. The word "exclusive", used in real estate, is telling.
All of this is meant to allow people that belong to the same social circles/companies/church to socialize and prevent mingling with people from other walks of life.
As a result, I think a lot of elements of campus life are things that adults could borrow from to improve their own quality of life.