The Good Neighbor Myth Is Fading—and We Need to Face It

The Good Neighbor Myth Is Fading—and We Need to Face It

A healthy, resilient society depends on communal trust. The people we live near—in cities, suburbs, or rural towns—have long been the first line of support during a crisis, the ones we lean on when institutions falter. But that foundational sense of mutual reliance is fraying. Unfortunately, the story that many national voices want to tell about our neighborhoods no longer aligns with the experiences of many Americans. The New York Times recentl…