The Hives Have It!

Urban neighborhoods are buzzing with hives, as residents thrive on community connections.

Everybody knows that high-density housing in urban areas offers people the opportunity to work, shop and play right where they live.

Did you also know that urban neighborhoods give residents an opportunity to hive?

Yankelovich, a national research firm that studies consumer trends, defines “hiving” as a city dweller’s quest for a more meaningful sense of community through frequent social interaction and neighborhood involvement. As these like-minded individuals move to near-in urban neighborhoods, they create so-called hives.

According to Yankelovich, “hivers” consider their homes to be a kind of command central for social and entertainment activities. They seek greater connectedness with family, friends, and neighbors, placing them first on their social priority list.

Hiving is replacing “cocooning” of the 1980’s and 1990’s, when people considered their home as a hiding place to isolate themselves from people and the world.

And while hiving may be the preferred sociologist’s term, Bill Taft, Executive Director of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation in Indianapolis (LISC) has his own name for the phenomena: neighbor power.

“I think a key feature in many urban neighborhoods are the great networks of interesting people who call them home,” Bill says. “It creates a sense of community that is dramatically greater than what you might find elsewhere.”

After her daughter went away to college, Susan Houchlin relocated to a custom-built home in Holy Cross, an Unsung Indy community on the city’s near east side. Susan was attracted to the neighborhood based on its proximity to downtown Indianapolis and all that it offers. What she discovered upon moving was a highly engaged group of neighbors who instantly became close friends.

“I didn’t realize that what I was getting, besides a great house, was a fantastic neighborhood,” Susan says. “We socialize together, share chores together, celebrate holidays together and solve community problems together.”

Holy Cross isn’t the only Indianapolis community alive with the hiving phenomena. In West Indianapolis, Beth Gibson of the West Indianapolis Development Corporation hosts regular gatherings of West Indy residents at the neighborhood's community center.

“There’s a real hunger for human contact,” Beth says. “We’re getting back to a point where people want to know their neighbors. They want that sense of familiarity.”