Literature Review and Neighboring Resources

I often get asked about my favorite books or articles on neighboring. Since 2019, this has been the primary subject of my academic and leisure reading. The first book I read on this subject was "The Art of Neighboring" by Dave Runyon and Jay Pathak. 

I have marked my personal favorites in bold on this long list of resources. You will also find some fictional listings (marked) that teach good lessons about neighbors. There is much to be learned on this subject and when anyone is talking or writing about the value of neighboring we all benefit. - David Burton

 

LITERATURE REVIEW AND NEIGHBORING RESOURCES

Aaron Smith, “Neighbors Online,” Pew Research Center, June 9, 2010.

Abide Ohama. Neighbor Improvement effort in Ohama, Nebraska. https://www.abideomaha.org/programs

Angulo, R., &; Crowell, D. (2018). Kindness & salt: Recipes for the care and feeding of your friends and neighbors. New York, NY: Grand Central Life and Style.

Applegate, Katherine. Wishtree. Macmillian Publishing Group, LLL. 2017. (FICTION)

Backman, Fredrik. “A Man Named Ove.” London: Sceptre, 2015. (FICTION)

Baker, Billy. We Need to Hang Out: A Memoir of Making Friends. Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 2021.

Barna Group. (2020). Better together: how Christians can be a welcome influence in their neighborhoods. Online resources at https://www.lhm.org/together/

Bethune, Brian. “The End of Neighbors: How Our Increasingly Closed-off Lives Are Poisoning Our Politics and Endangering Our Health,” Maclean’s, August 8, 2014.

Bearman, Peter. Doormen. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2005.

Behr, G. and R. Rydzewski, When You Wonder, You’re Learning: Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids (New York: Hachette Go, 2021)

Berry, W. (2001). Jayber Crow. Thorndike Press. (FICTION)

Bexley, Ohio, Block Party Activity Kit. http://www.bexley.org/bpak

Bishop, Bill. The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009).

Block, Peter. Community: The Structure of Belonging. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2018.

Briggs, Alan. Staying Is the New Going: Choosing to Love Where God Places You. The Navigators, 2016.

Broekhuis, Kendra. Here Goes Nothing: An Introvert’s Reckless Attempt to Love Her Neighbor. Thomas Nelson. 2017.

Brooks, Jonathan. (2018). Church forsaken: Practicing presence in neglected neighborhoods. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books.

Brooks, David. “The Neighborhood Is the Unit of Change.” New York Times: 2018.

Brueggemann, Walter. Journey to the Common Good. Westminster John Knox Press, 2010.

Butterfield, Rosaria Champagne. The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World. Crossway, 2018.

Bryan, Ethan D. A Year of Playing Catch: What a Simply Daily Experiment Taught Me About Life. Zondervan. 2022.

Cander, Chris. A Gracious Neighbor. Little A. 2022. (Fiction).

Carnegie, Dale. How to Win Friends and Influence People. Diamond Pocket Books, 2019.

Carter, Majora. Reclaiming Your Community: You Don’t Have to Move Out of Your Neighborhood to Live In a Better One. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. 2022.

Center for Neighborhoods, University of Missouri – Kansas City. https://cfn.umkc.edu/

Chapin, Ross. "Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small-scale Community in A Large-scale World." Taunton Press. 2014.

Chetty, Ray (with Nathaniel Hendren and Lawrence Katz). The Effects of Exposure to Better Neighborhoods on Children: New Evidence from the Moving to Opportunity Experiment, American Economic Review 106(4): 855-902, 2016.

Chetty, Ray (with Nathaniel Hendren). The Effects of Neighborhoods on Intergenerational Mobility II: County Level Estimates, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 133(3): 1163-1228, 2018.

Chetty, Ray, "The Opportunity Atlas," https://www.opportunityatlas.org.

Chon, Kaye (Kye-Sung). "Welcome to Hospitality: An Introduction." Cengage Learning. 2009.

Christakis, Nicholas and James Fowler. Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives. Bay Back Books. 2009.

Christian, Smith and Hilary Davidson, The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014).

City of Cupertino, California. Digital binder for neighboring and block parties. https://www.cupertino.org/residents/community-services-programs/neighborhood-block-leader/block-leader-resources/block-leader-binder

Community Innovation and Action Center. University of Missouri - St. Louis. https://ciac.umsl.edu/

Conley, Dalton. Elsewhere, U.S.A.: How We Got from the Company Man, Family Dinners, and the Affluent Society to the Home Office, BlackBerry Moms, and Economic Anxiety. New York: Vintage. 2010.

Cook, T., & Everts, D. (2020). The hopeful neighborhood field guide: six sessions on pursuing the common good right where you live. InterVarsity Press.

Coontz, Stephanie. The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap. Basic Books, a Member of the Perseus Book Group, 2016.

Cory, Lynn. The Kairos Adventure: Neighboring in God's Timing. NavPress. 2020.

Cory, Lynn. Neighborhood Initiative and the Love of God. NavPress. 2013

David J O'Brien, E.W. Hassinger, L Dershem. Community Attachment and Depression Among Residents in Two Rural Midwestern Communities, Rural Sociology, 1994

David J O'Brien, S Ayidiya. Neighborhood community and life satisfaction. Community Development, 1991.

David J O'Brien, E.W. Hassinger. Community Attachment Among Leaders in Five Rural Communities. Rural Sociology, 1992.

David J O'Brien. Neighborhood organization and interest-group processes. Princeton University Press. 2015

Davis, Leslie, and Kim Parker. “A Half-Century after 'Mister Rogers' Debut, 5 Facts about Neighbors in the U.S.” Pew Research Center, 18 Aug. 2020, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/15/facts-about-neighbors-in-u-s

DeTillis, Tim. Good Neighbors Make Great Neighborhoods. Tim DeTillis. 2019.

De Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America. 1839 reprint University of Chicago Press, 2000.

DeYoung, Kevin. Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem. Crossway Press. 2013.

Diers, Jim. Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way. University of Washington Press, 2004.

Docusen, David. Neighborliness: Love Like Jesus. Cross Dividing Lines. Transform Your Community. Thomas Nelson, 2022.

Doswald, Alan. “Pray and Do the Next Thing...: Following the Lord to Change Lives & Communities.” CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2017.

Downs, Tim. Finding Common Ground: How to Communicate with Those Outside the Christian Community While We Still Can. Moody Publishers. 1999.

Duany, Andres, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Jeff Speck. Suburban Nation. New York: North Point Press. 2000.

D’Vera, Cohn and Rich Morin, “Who Moves? Who Stays Put? Where’s Home?” Pew Research Center, December 17, 2008. https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2008/12/17/who-moves-who-stays-put-wheres-home/

Dunkelman, Marc J., The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American Community. W. W. Norton & Company, 2014. Print.

Edmonton Block Party Kit, http://www.Edmonton.ca/for_residents/Block-Party-Guide.PDF

Edwards, G., & Sikoryak, R. (2019). Kindness and wonder: Why Mister Rogers matters now more than ever. New York, NY: Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow.

Ehman, Karen. “Reach Out, Gather In: 40 Days to Opening Your Heart and Home. Bethany House Publishers, 2020.

Elazar, D. J. (1984). Cities of the prairie: The metropolitan frontier and American politics. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

Everts, D. (2020). The hopeful neighborhood: what happens when Christians pursue the common good. InterVarsity Press.

Everts, Don (2022) Discover Your Gifts: Celebrating How God Made You and Everyone You Know. InterVarsity Press.

Farley, Thomas P.  Modern Manners: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Social Graces. Hearst. 2005.

Feldman, Natasha. The Dinner Party Project: A No-Stress Guide to Food with Friends. Harvest. 2023. 

Ferguson, Dave and Jon Ferguson. B.L.E.S.S.: 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World. Salem Books. 2021. https://www.bless-book.org/

Fikkert, Brian and Kelly M. Kapic. Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty Isn't the American Dream. eChristian. 2019.

Ford, Lance. Next Door as It Is in Heaven: Living out God's Kingdom in Your Neighborhood. The Navigators, 2016.

Florida, R. (2009). Who's your city?: How the creative economy is making the place where you live the most important decision of your life. New York: Basic books.

Frazee, Randy. “Making Room for Life: Trading Chaotic Lifestyles for Connected Relationships.” Zondervan; First Edition, 2003.

Frazee, Randy. “The Connecting Church 2.0: Beyond Small Groups to Authentic Community.” Zondervan; First Edition, 2013.

Fischer, Claude. (1982) To Dwell among Friends: Personal Networks in Town and City. University of Chicago Press.

Fischer, Robert. Let the People Decide: Neighborhood Organizing in America (New York: Twayne, 1994).

Fowler, Thomas. Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives -- How Your Friends' Friends' Friends Affect Everything You Feel, Think, and Do. Simon and Schuster. 2011.

Fowler , Therese Anne. A Good Neighborhood. St. Martin Press. 2021. (FICTION)

Funder, Dr. John. Neighborhood Mapping: How to Make Your Church Invaluable to the Community. Moody Publishers. 2014.

Gallagher, Leigh. The End of the Suburbs: Where the American Dream Is Moving. Portfolio/Penguin, 2014.

Galster, George. Making Our Neighborhood, Making Ourselves. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987).

Galster, George. Homeowners and Neighborhood Reinvestment (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1987).

Gao, George. “Americans divided on how much they trust their neighbors.” Pew Research Center. 2016. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/13/americans-divided-on-how-much-they-trust-their-neighbors/

Gayle, Mike. All the Lonely People. Grand Central Publishing. 2021. (FICTION)

Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York : Little, Brown, and Company, 2008.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Little, Brown and Company: 2000.

Grant, J., and Schipper, B. (2019). Maybe I can love my neighbor too. Minneapolis, MN: Beaming Books.

Goff, Bob. Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People. Thomas Nelson. 2018.

Goldsmith, Stephen. Putting Faith in Neighborhoods: Making Cities Work through Grassroots Citizenship. Hudson Institute, 2002.

Good Neighbor Research - State Farm. newsroom.statefarm.com/download/231257/sfneighborsurveyresearchreport.pdf. 2015

Granovetter, Mark. "The Strength of Weak Ties." Stanford Press. 1974.

Greenfield, Craig. “An Introvert’s Guide to Connecting with Neighbors (5 Open Doors). Blog. https://www.craiggreenfield.com/blog/2015/9/22/5opendoors

Gretchen, Anderson. “Loneliness Among Older Adults: A National Survey of Adults 45+,” September 2010. www.aarp.org

Griffiths, D., & Clemmer, K. "13 ways to kill your community." Edmonton, Alberta: 13 Ways. 2016.

Hales, Ashley. "Finding Holy in the Suburbs: Living Faithfully in the Land of Too Much." IVP. 2018.

Hardwood, Richard C. "Civic Virus: Why Polarization is a Misdiagnosis." Kettering Foundation. 2021.

Hardwood, Richard C. "The Ripple Effect: How Change Spreads in Communities." Kettering Foundation, 2015.

Hardwood, Richard C. "Unleashed: A Proven Way Communities Can Spread Change and Make Hope Real for All." Kettering Foundation. 2023.

Halpern, David. Social Capital. Polity, 2014.

Hale, Martha. A Gracious Neighbor. Little A. 2022. (FICTION)

Hayes, Walker and Craig Cooper. Glad You're Here: Two Unlikely Friends Breaking Bread and Fences. Moody Publishers. 2022.

Halton, Carissa. "Little Yellow House: Finding Community in A Changing Neighbourhood." The University of Alberta Press. 2023.

Hertz, Noreena. The Lonely Century: How to Restore Human Connection in a World that's Pulling Apart. Currency. 2021.

Hirsch, Alan, and Lance Ford. Right Here, Right Now Everyday Mission for Everyday People. Baker Books, 2011.

Hjalmarson, Leonard. (2015) “No Home Like Place: A Christian Theology of Place.” Urban Loft Publishers; 2nd Edition.

“Holding Ground,” a video by New Day Films, http://www.newday.com

Holmquist, Annie. “The Neighborhood Stands Between Us and Totalitarianism.” Accessed on https://www.intellectualtakeout.org. Jan. 11, 2021.

Holt, Simon Carey. (2007) God next Door: Spirituality & Mission in the Neighborhood. Acorn Press.

Hopeful Neighborhood Project. https://www.hopefulneighborhood.org/

Horowitz, A. (2013). On looking: Eleven walks with expert eyes. New York: Scribner.

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neightborhood, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2019. https://tinyurl.com/Tom-Hanks-Mr-Rogers

Jackson, Kenneth T. Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press. 1985.

Jacobs, J., & Epstein, J. (2011). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. (New York, Random House, 1961).

Jacobsen, E. O. (2003). Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New urbanism and the Christian faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press.

Jacobsen, E. O. (2020). Three pieces of glass: Why we feel lonely in a world mediated by screens. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Janice Shaw Crouse, “The Lonelienss of American Society, May, 18, 2014, http://spectator.org/articles/59230/loneliness-american-society.

Jimmy Carter, “National Good Neighbor Day, 1978,” U.S. Presidential Proclamation 4601, September 22, 1978.

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, “Knight Soul of the Community 2010. Why People Love Where They Live and Why it Matters: A National Perspective.” Miami, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. http://knightfoundation.org/sotc/overall-findings

Kageyama, Peter.  Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places. Creative Cities Productions. 2015.

Kaplan, Seth. Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time. Little Brown Spark. 2023.

Keam, Heather and Debra Jakubec. Becoming an Asset-Based Community Development City. Abundant Community Edmonton. 2018.

Keats, John. The Crack in the Picture Window. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co, 1956.

Kelling, G. L., & Coles, C. M. (1997). Fixing broken windows: Restoring order and reducing crime in our communities. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Trade.

Kemmis, D. (1995). The good city and the good life: Renewing the sense of community. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Killam, Kasley. The Art and Science of Connection: Why Social Health Is the Missing Key to Living Longer, Healthier, and Happier. HarperOne. 2024.

King, Maxwell. The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers. Abrams Press. 2018.

Klinenberg, E. (2019). Palaces for the people how social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of civic life. New York: Broadway Books.

Kobos, Sarah, Be a Better Neighbor, Build a Better Neighborhood, https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/4/12/eight-ways-to-be-a-better-neighbor

Krause-Eheart, Brenda. Neighbors: The Power of the People Next Door. Amazon. 2020.

Kralik, John. 365 Thank Yous. A Simple Act of Gratitude: How Learning to Say Thank You Changed My Life. Hachette Books 2011.

Kretzman, John P., and John McKnight. Building Communities from the inside out: a Path toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets. Langara College, 2004.

Kuhnley, A.K. The Mister Rogers Effect: 7 Secrets to Bringing Out the Best in Yourself and Others from America’s Beloved Neighbor (Michigan: Baker Books, 2020)

Kunstler, J. H. (1998). Home from nowhere: Remaking our everyday world for the twenty-first Century. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Kyle Crowder, Jeremy Pais and Scott J. South, “Neighborhood Diversity, Metropolitan Constraints, and Household Migration,” American Sociological Review, 77, no. 3 (2012).

Labberton, Mark. “The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor: Seeing Others Through the Eyes of Jesus.” IVP Books, 2015.

Langan, Sarah. "Good Neighbors."  Washington Square Press. 2021. (FICTION)

Laurie, Greg. "Five Ways to Love Your Neighbor." Harvest Ministries. 2018.

Linnell, Patrick. “Grace Bomb: The Surprising Impact of Loving Your Neighbors.” David C. Cook. May 2021.

Lively, Amy. (2015). How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers.

Lovenheim, Peter. In The Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time. Perigee Books. 2010.

Loubriel, Oscar. In My Neighborhood. Tilbury House Publishers. 2021. 

Lucado, Max and Randy Frazee. “Making Room for Neighbors: Strengthen Relationships, Cultivate Community.” Tyndale House Publishers, 2011.

Mackay, Hugh. "The Art of Belonging." MacMillian Australia. 2015. (Fiction)

Mason, Mike. Practicing the Presence of People: How We Learn to Love. WaterBrook Press, 1999.

Marie, Jeannie. Across the Street and Around the World. Thomas Nelson. 2018.

Matthews, Kayla, How to Build Strong Relationships With Your Neighbors (And Why You Should), at https://thriveglobal.com/stories/how-to-build-strong-relationships-with-your-neighbors-and-why-you-should/

Marohn, Charles. Strong Towns: A Bottom Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity. Wiley. 2019.

MacGibbon, L. J., & Frost, M. My vertical neighborhood: How strangers became a community. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. 2021

Mather, Michael and Fr. Gregory Boyle. Having Nothing, Possessing Everything: Finding Abundant Communities in Unexpected Places. Eerdmans Press. 2018.

Martin, Susan. Start With Hello (and Other Simple Ways to Live as Neighbors). Revell. 2022.

Mavis, B., & Rusaw, R. The neighboring church: Getting better at what Jesus says matters most. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. 2017.

McCarter, Mack and Tim Muldoon. How to Remake the World Neighborhood by Neighborhood. Orbis, 2022.

McClay, W. M., & McAllister, T. V. (2014). Why place matters: Geography, identity, and civic life in modern America. New York: Encounter Books.

McCrea, Andrew. The Total Town Makeover: Rethinking Business, Community and Home in Small-Town America. Blake and King. 2019.

McKinney, Chris and Elizabth McKinney, Placed for a Purpose: A Simple and Sustainable Vision for Loving Your Next-Door Neighbors. Columbia (2020).

McKinney, Chris and Elizabeth McKinney, Neighborhoods Reimagined: How the Beatitudes Inspire our Call to be Good Neighbours. 10Publishing, (2024).

McKnight, John, and Peter Block. The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2012. http://abundantcommunity.com

Men’s Shed USA: https://usmenssheds.org/

Michelle Singer, “Professional Porch Sitters Unite,” August 17, 2007, www.cbsnews.com/news/professional-porch-sitters-unite

Midland Michigan Cultural Awareness and Neighbor Week, https://www.midlandfoundation.org/initiative/culturalawareness/

Miller, Susan. After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On After Moving In. Focus on the Family. 2016.

Montgomery, Charles (2014). Happy city: Transforming our lives through urban design. Toronto, Ontario: Anchor Canada.

Monbiot, George. (2017). Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age of Crisis. Verso.

Mulder, Michele. "Home Sweet Neighborhood: Transforming Cities One Block at A Time." Orca Book Publishers. 2019.

Murthy, V. H. (2020). Together: The healing power of human connection in a sometimes lonely world. New York, NY: Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Murthy, V.H. (2023). "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation." https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf

Murosky, Thomas. (2017). The Art of Shallow Neighboring: Building Shallow Relationships With Your Eight Closest Neighbors.  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

National Commission on Neighborhoods. People Building Neighborhoods: Final Report to the President and the Congress of the United States (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1979).

Nattaavuh Powdthavee. “Putting a Price Tag on Friends, Relatives and Neighbors: Using Surveys of Life Satisfaction to Value Social Relationships,” Journal of Socio Economics, 37, No. 4, 2008.

NeighboringLife.com. Jeff & Amy Meyer. Educational website. Launched 2021.

Neighboring Movement. All things neighboring in Kansas including the “Neighbor Next Door” podcast. Website: https://neighboringmovement.org/

Neighboring Movement. Podcast interview of David Burton. March 2022. Webpage: https://neighboringmovement.org/blog/david-burton-podcast-episode

Nelson, T. (2017). The economics of neighborly love: Investing in your community's compassion and capacity. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books.

Nesbit, Robert. The Quest for Community. ISI Books. 1990.

Ng, Celeste. Little Fires Everywhere. Penguin Press. 2017. (Fiction)

Nobel, Jeremy. Project Unlonely: Healing Our Crisis of Disconnection. Penguin. 2023

North, Amy. Long hours make bad neighbors. Vox. https://www.vox.com. Dec. 3, 2021.

Oldenburg, Ray. The Great Good Place: cafés, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. (Boston: Da Capo Press, 1989).

Oldenburg, Ray. Celebrating the Third Place: Inspiring Stories About the "Great Good Places" at the Heart of Our Communities. Da Capo Press. 2022.

Olds, Jacqueline and Richard S. Schwartz. The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the Twenty-First Century. Random House. 2010

Olmstead, G. (2021). Uprooted: Recovering the legacy of the places we've left behind. New York: Sentinel.

Parker, Priya. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters. Riverhead Books, 2020.

Parker, Kim. Anna Brown, Richard Fry, D’Vera Cohn and Ruth Igielnik. “How urban, suburban and rural residents interact with their neighbors.” Pew Research Center. 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/05/22/how-urban-suburban-and-rural-residents-interact-with-their-neighbors/

Pathak, Jay, and Dave Runyon. The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2012. Print. (artofneighboring.com)

Perry, Michael. Population: 485- Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time. Harper. 2002.

Pilgreen, Shaunna and Randy Frazee. Love Where You Live: How to Live Sent in the Place You Call Home. Revell. 2019.

Pinker, Susan. The Village Effect: How Face-to-Face Contact Can Make Us Healthier and Happier. Vintage Canada, 2015.

Price, Catherine. How to Break Up with Your Phone. Random House. 2018.

Postman, N. (2007). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show business. Burnaby, B.C.: Simon Fraser University.

Pouteaux, P. (2017). The bees of Rainbow Falls: Finding faith, imagination, and delight in your neighbourhood. Skyforest, CA: Urban Loft.

Pouteaux, P. (2020. The Neighbours Are Real and Other Beautiful Things: A Collection of Short Essays. Skyforest, CA: Urban Loft.

Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. Print.

Putnam, Robert D. Better Together: Restoring American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004.

Putman, Robert D. with Shaylyn Romney Garrett. The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again. (New York: Simon & Schuster,  2020).

Riesamn, Daniel. The Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character. Yale University Press. 1969.

Robert Waldinger, What Makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness. November 2015. Ted Talk

Rock Hill, South Carolina. “Rock Hill Council of Neighborhoods,” City of Rock Hill.

Rodriguez , Adrianna Rodriguez. “Americans are lonely and it’s killing them. How the US can combat this new epidemic.” USA Today. Jan. 24, 2024.

Rosabella, C. (2004). Broken windows theory: The efficacy of broken windows theory as a crime reduction technique in the United States.

Rose, Reginald. "The Incredible World of Horace Ford," season 4, episode 117, The Twilight Zone, directed by Abner Biberman, original air date: April 18, 1963.

Rosenblum, Nancy L. Good Neighbors: The Democracy of Everyday Life in America. (Princeton, NJ). Princeton University Press, 2016.

Roxburgh, Alex. Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhood. Allelon Missional Series. 2011.

Tocqueville, Alexis de. Democracy in America: Penguin Books, 2003. Print.

Sampson, Robert J. 2012. Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect. (Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 2012).  

Sanders, Beth. "Nest City: How Citizens Serve Cities and Cities Serve Citizens." Populous Community Planning Inc. 2020.

Sanford, David. “Loving Your Neighbor: Surprise! It's Not What You Think.” CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2017.

Santomero, A. C. (2019). Radical kindness: The life-changing power of giving and receiving. New York: HarperCollins.

Swanstrom, Todd and Alan Mallach. "The Changing American Neighborhood: The Meaning of Place in the Twenty-First Century. Cornell University Press. 2023.

Sauls, Scott. Befriend. Tyndale House Publishers. 2016.

Schell, Kristin. The Turquoise Table: Finding Community and Connection in Our Own Front Yard. Thomas Nelson, 2017. Audible. (theturquoisetable.com)

Schmidt, Jen. Just Open the Door. B&H Books. 2018.

Sjogren, Steve. “Conspiracy of Kindness: A Unique Approach to Sharing the Love of Jesus.” Bethany House Publishers, 2008. 

Sharkey, Patrick. Uneasy Peace: The Great Crime Deline, the Renewal of City Life, and the Next War on Violence. (New York: Norton, 2018).

Smith, Aaron. Neighbors Online: How Americans learn about community issues. Pew Research Center. 2010.  https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2010/06/09/neighbors-online/

Smith, James K.A. “You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit.” Brazos Press. 2016.

Smith, Roland. Life Out Loud: Joining Jesus Outside the Walls of the Church. 100 Movement Publishing. 2019.

Solnit, Rebecca. "A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disasters." Self-Published. 2014.

Speck, J. (2013). Walkable city: How downtown can save America, one step at a time. New York: North Point Press, a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Steiner-Adair, C., & Barker, T. (2014). The big disconnect: protecting childhood and family relationships in the digital age. Harper.

Stuckey, Maggie. "Soup Night: Recipes for Creating Community Around A Pot of Soup." Storey Publishing, LLC. 2013.

Soerens, Tim. Everywhere You Look: Discovering the Church Right Where You Are. eChristian Publisher. 2020.

Soul of the Community Study, https://knightfoundation.org/sotc/overall-findings/

Surprise, Arizona. Block Party Trailer. https://www.surpriseaz.gov/869/Block-Party-Trailer

Suarez, Ray. The Old Neighborhood: What We Lost in the Great Suburban Migration, 1966-1999 (New York: Free Press, 1999).

Sweet, Leonard. From Tablet to Table: Where Community Is Found and Identity Is Formed. Colorado Springs: NavPress. 2014.

Swanstrom, Todd. Place Matters: Metropolitics for the Twenty-First Century. (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2014).

Swanstrom, Todd and Alan Mallach. The Changing American Neighborhood. (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2022).

Swenson, Richard A. Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. Colorado Springs: NavPress. 2004.

Swenson, Richard A. The Overload Syndrome: Learning to Live within Your Limits. Colorado Springs: NavPress. 1998.

Turkle, Sherry. Alone Together. Basic Books; 1st edition (2011)

Van Tatenhove, Krin and Rob Mueller. Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation into a Powerhouse for Missions. Westminister-John Knox Press. 2019

Walton, Emily. Be a Good Neighbor! Mind (Y)Our Business. Sage Research Journal. (2017).

Warnick, Melody. This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live. Double Day, 2018.

Warnick, Melody. If You Could Live Anywhere: The Surprising Importance of Place in a Work-from-Anywhere World. Double Day, 2022.

Weibel, Jonathan  and Steve Lutz. Front Yard Mission: How to Start a Love God, Love Neighbor Movement in Your Neighborhood. Front Yard Mission. 2024.

Werner, Carol and Barbara Brown. "Inferences about homeowners' sociability: Impact of Christmas decorations and other cues." Journal of Environmental Psychology. December 1989.

Walljasper, Jay. The Great Neighborhood Book: a Do-It-Yourself Guide to Placemaking. New Society Publishers, 2010.

Willis, Dustin, and Brandon Clements. The Simplest Way to Change the World: Biblical Hospitality as a Way of Life. Moody Publishers, 2017.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? a Focus Features documentary, 2018; https://tinyurl.com/Rogers-Documentary

World and Everything In It Podcast. Driveway Mission: Missouri Couple Works to be Better Neighbors. April 2022. https://wng.org/podcasts/driveway-missions-1650960695

Wuthnow, Robert. Loose Connections: Joining Together in America’s Fragmented Communities. Harvard University Press. 1998.

Yankelovich, Daniel. "New Rules: Searching for Self-fulfillment In a World Turned Upside Down." Random House. 1981.