Front porches are mighty neighborly

By Christine Brun, Special to the U-T6:06 p.m.Sept. 12, 2014

As summer slowly drifts away, I turn nostalgic thinking of neighborhoods where folks sit on porch swings. Ive never had one but, admittedly, long for a shady overhang similar to those I read about in novels.

My family moved to San Diego in August of 1958, to the northernmost edge of town. It was a new subdivision of ranch-style homes with big backyards on a canyon in North Clairemont; there was no University City then. We had rattlesnakes and scorpions galore as the wild mesa had been disturbed by the recent construction.

Porches were minimal; yet, because everyone had four or five kids, we were outside on the street during the summer. Mostly, I had my dreamy seeds for front porches planted by visiting my grandmothers Los Angeles home. It was a Spanish Revival and had an enclosed front patio that was protected by a low stucco wall.

I knew that Mission Hills and Bankers Hill had loads of generous porches, because I rode my bike through those areas as a kid. I found traditional houses intoxicating, not so much because of specific architectural styles, but because they appeared welcoming. South Park, North Park and Golden Hill also have bungalows with porches. We have pockets like Bird Rock and Kensington that feel cozy through style, scale and those alluring front porches.

I now live in Bay Ho, where neighbors are friendly, but I know that we could chat even more if warm evenings found residents sitting outside. My father grew up in New York City and recalled how folks would hang out on the stoops. I played with that mental snapshot many times, imagining how it would feel to be visiting outside as the evening gradually grew cooler.

Where do we all hang? Concealed in the backyard so that we dont have to interact at the end of a long day? In front of our huge TV screens, hiding from other humans? Having kids helps with the human interactions; children knock on the door to play, and suddenly there is an interface. But what about people in different phases of life and without little ones? What brings them together? You cannot know someone that you dont ever see.

How much better might we feel if we could talk with one another in a casual way? And how much wealthier would our neighborhood life be if we knew those who live three doors up and five doors down? I definitely get the feeling that some people would rather not be bothered and view a neighbor as potential usurper of precious time. After all, there is randomness to who neighbors are and where they are from when you live in our county. San Diego neighborhoods may not be the same as long-established ones in Ohio or Indiana, where families might live continuously for generations. Nevertheless, is it really better to hide away in the backyard? How I envy those porch swings in South Carolina or Virginia.

The prototype cottage shown here was developed as a solution to the FEMA trailer, immediately post Hurricane Katrina, by architect Marianne Cusato, author of Getting Your House Right and The Just Right Home. While space was limited to 300 square feet, the architect felt strongly that a front porch was imperative if she was to deliver a sense of comfort to homeowners who had just lost everything and were used to the features of old houses.

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Front porches are mighty neighborly