What We Learned from 64 Neighboring Ideas Submitted For Our National Tournament
We’ve taken 64 different neighboring activities and turned them into a March-Madness-style tournament bracket. Over the coming weeks, people will vote, debate, and ultimately crown a “champion” neighboring activity. You can vote in different rounds online.
But before the first matchup even begins, something interesting has already happened.
People from around the nation submitted actions for the bracket a month earlier. And when you look closely at the full list of 64 ideas, you begin to see patterns. The list reveals some important truths about how neighboring actually works in real life.
And perhaps the most encouraging lesson is this: Neighboring is simpler than most people think.
Neighboring Happens in Small Moments
Many of the activities on the list are incredibly simple:
- Coffee chats.
- Delivering flowers.
- Writing thank-you notes.
- Inviting a neighbor for a walk.
- Putting out a water bowl for neighborhood dogs.
These are not large programs or complicated projects. They are small, everyday gestures.
Yet those small gestures are exactly how strong neighborhoods are built.
Relationships rarely begin with big events. They usually start with small, repeated interactions—a quick conversation, a shared laugh, a moment of kindness. Over time, those moments accumulate and begin to form the fabric of community.
In other words, neighboring is not about doing something extraordinary.
It is about doing ordinary things intentionally.
Neighboring Happens at Different Levels
Looking at the list of activities also reveals that neighboring happens at several levels.
Some activities help neighbors simply meet each other for the first time. Learning eight neighbor names, delivering a treat, or inviting someone for a walk are small steps that move people from strangers to acquaintances.
Other activities bring neighbors together around shared experiences. Book clubs, garage coffee, progressive dinners, or kickball games create opportunities for people to spend time together and deepen relationships.
And then there are activities that begin to shape the structure of a neighborhood itself. Creating a communication channel, organizing a neighborhood directory, forming a block team, or developing a disaster response plan all help a neighborhood function more intentionally.
In many ways, neighboring naturally progresses from simple connections to stronger community systems.
Small interactions lead to friendships. Friendships lead to gatherings. Gatherings eventually lead to neighborhood collaboration.
Five Ways Neighbors Connect
Another interesting discovery from the list is that neighboring activities tend to fall into a few common categories.
Food plays a major role. Ice cream socials, progressive dinners, stone soup gatherings, and long-table meals appear throughout the list. Sharing food has always been one of the easiest ways to bring people together.
Play is another connector. Pet parades, kickball games, talent swaps, and generational play activities help neighbors relax and interact in low-pressure ways.
Many activities focus on care and kindness, such as delivering flowers, writing notes of appreciation, or checking in on neighbors.
Others revolve around shared interests, like book clubs, musical jam sessions, storytelling events, or skill-sharing gatherings.
Finally, some activities help build neighborhood systems, including communication networks, Buy Nothing groups, libraries of things, and neighborhood directories.
Each category plays a role in helping communities grow stronger.
Neighboring Often Creates “Third Places”
One surprising pattern is how many of these ideas create informal gathering spaces.
- Garage coffee.
- Front-yard seating areas.
- Stoop sits.
- Book clubs.
- Coffee chats.
These small spaces function as what sociologists often call “third places”—places that are not home and not work, but somewhere people naturally gather.
Strong neighborhoods often develop these kinds of informal meeting points. They might start with something as simple as a regular conversation spot or a weekly cup of coffee in a driveway.
Over time, those small traditions become anchors for neighborhood life.
Neighboring Includes Every Generation
Another encouraging discovery is how many activities bring together people of all ages.
Some ideas focus on children, such as coloring contests, storytime gatherings, or sidewalk chalk events.
Others appeal to adults through book clubs, skill-shares, or neighborhood discussions.
Many activities invite whole families to participate—kickball games, progressive dinners, lemonade crawls, or neighborhood concerts.
Healthy neighborhoods are rarely built by one generation alone. They are strengthened when children, adults, and seniors all share space and experiences together.
Neighboring Builds Resilience
A few activities on the list go even deeper.
Creating a neighborhood disaster response plan, forming a block team, or organizing a communication channel may not sound as exciting as a pet parade or ice cream social. But these actions quietly build something extremely important: community resilience.
When neighbors know each other, communicate regularly, and share resources, they are far better prepared to face challenges—whether those challenges are storms, emergencies, or simply the everyday difficulties of life.
Neighboring is not just about friendliness.
It is about creating communities that can support one another.
The Real Purpose of the Tournament
Eventually, one activity will win the tournament. People will vote, brackets will be filled out, and a champion neighboring activity will emerge.
But the real goal of this tournament is not to determine the “best” idea.
The real goal is to help people discover just how many ways there are to connect with the people who live nearby.
Some neighbors may prefer hosting dinners. Others might organize games. Some may enjoy simple acts of kindness. Others might focus on building neighborhood systems.
There is no single right way to be a good neighbor.
What matters most is simply starting.
And if this tournament inspires even a few people to try one of these 64 ideas, the real victory will already have happened—long before the final round is played.
Written by David L. Burton
MORE INFORMATION
Take the Engaged Neighbor pledge and become part of a movement! The pledge outlines five categories and 20 principles to guide you toward becoming an engaged neighbor. Sign the pledge at https://nomoregoodneighbors.com. Individuals who take the pledge do get special invitations to future events online and in person. Contact the blog author, David L. Burton via email at dburton541@yahoo.com or visit his website at http://engagedneighbor.com.
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