Revitalizing Communities

The value of any property is dependent upon the local amenities, and many smaller towns have become almost deserted over the last century. Young people see more opportunity in large metropolitan areas, and they are interested in easy access to the amenities they can provide. Rather than staying home in a more rural or suburban area, they move as soon as they have obtained the necessary schooling for a city job. Life might seem pleasant there when they are young and single, but many crave the opportunity to move back when they are married and have children. These are often the people revitalising communities that have fallen by the wayside.

Children bring a new dimension to any lifestyle, and many parents today are concerned their children are not growing up with the same values they had. Rather than try to compete against the noise and activity of a metropolitan area, they are willing to move back to their own childhood towns and villages. They are interested in maintaining a good lifestyle, so revitalising the area where they choose to raise their children could become important to them.

Some revitalisation projects are small, and they often begin with opening new businesses as adults move back into the area. Other projects might become larger as the entire centre of the town is rebuilt for new businesses moving into an area. Neighbourhoods are often rejuvenated when older homes are bought and refurbished, and it can spread throughout the area as people take a good look at their own homes.

Renewing any suburban or rural area might start as just one small project, and it can be done through fixing up just one building at a time or simply spreading dried aggregates with silica sand over unused ugly looking spaces of soil. New residents are often in favour of this type of revitalisation for their new community, and established residents may agree with them to ease the burden of taxes.