HOMEOWNERS LOOKING FOR COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

According to a Mar. 14th Denver Post article, "Homeowners are beginning to emerge from their cocoons. Lifestyle guru Faith Popcorn coined the term 'cocooning' in the 1980s to describe the American need to retreat from the realities of life. Cocooning was considered a way to protect oneself and disconnect from the outside world. Now American homeowners are acting like a whole different type of insect.

"'Shortly after 9/11 there was a lot of discussion about a new return to home, about the 'new cocooning,'' said J. Walker Smith, president of Yankelovich, a Chapel Hill, N.C.-based marketing consulting group that tracks consumer attitudes. 'But this return is actually quite different.' Yankelovich trend-watchers began seeing signs of this new return home in 1998 and coined the term "hiving" in 2001. Like a beehive, a hive home represents engagement, interaction and connection with the outside environment. It has larger, open gathering areas. Hive homes are also often on smaller lots, encouraging use of community centers and parks that are an integral part of a hiving community..."

Source: http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~2014737,00.html
Title: "'Hiving' new community buzzword"
Author: Chryss Cada
Courtesy of: info@bikewalk.org