Love Thy 15-Minute Neighborhood

The Point by Colson Center

For years, urban innovators have dreamt of “15-minute neighborhoods,” where people have everything they need within a short walk. The pandemic is making the employment side of that possible for many. In Britain, for example, 24 percent of workers say they want to work from home permanently.

One of the things that makes the 15-minute neighborhood concept so appealing to many is that many people feel a lack of neighbors. Although they do have neighbors, roughly one-in-four Americans under age 30 say they don’t know any of them. There’s a desire to reinvigorate the idea of neighborhood.

Of course, Jesus raised that bar even higher. Love your neighbors, He said, and as He taught via the parable of the Good Samaritan, our neighborhood often includes those we wish it didn’t. For a generation so quick to cancel others, this neighborhood thing could prove difficult.

But if we obey Christ and truly love our neighbor, it could really be something…