Creating a Community

In Ealing, a group of residents decided they would like a Home Zone as a way of counteracting a variety of problems in the area, including rat-running, lack of parking space, personal safety and an unattractive street environment. As the project progressed, for many people the main objective became building a community. People still care passionately about providing parking space, but we have begun to relearn the values of neighbourliness and a little about sustainability too!

This all began in our living rooms, where we held meetings for residents to discuss their concerns and the idea of a Home Zone. Together, we produced a plan using the skills of residents including a retired architect, a journalist, and a PR consultant. The plan was presented to the council and discussed with councillors. This culminated in a successful application to become a Government national pilot.

Our first successful use of streets (other than for cars) was the tea party, which was used as a launch event for the Transport Minister to announce the pilots. This was a wonderful sunny August day: the kids played on their bikes, residents came out of their houses, met each other, sat on the sofas and drank tea. Quote of the day from an elderly lady was, "Where did you get all of the children?" Of course the kids lived within the five Home Zone streets. It brought a chilling reminder of how isolating urban living is, especially for the elderly, and what a long way there was to go.

Since then, the project has run through highs and lows. For residents, understanding local politics and council working has been challenging and frustrating. There have been so many hurdles and surprises. However, we have learnt a lot and made many new friends. Slowly, we are beginning to use the streets more productively and create a community.

Chairman Boyd