To our neighbors

Our Neighborhood

We’ve lived in this apartment in Paris for four years. In a working-class neighborhood, our apartment is on the ground floor of a condominium and overlooks a pedestrian street. Our street is like a mini-country with its own organization, its own customs, and its own inhabitants. It’s like a small island in the middle of the Parisian chaos.

23 May 2025

Excerpt from painting: Valencian Festival (1893) by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida.

1 · The Neighbors’ Festival

The Fête des Voisins (Vousins’ Festival) is approaching, and it has gained meaning for me since I’ve lived here. On our street, we all take care of each other, decorating the sidewalks with flowerpots, the little ones painting enormous games on the asphalt with chalk, while the older ones chat for a long time in the semi-hidden urban landscape between our buildings. No cars pass through here, and how grateful I am!

1.1 · Neighborhood cohesion

Neighborhood cohesion provides important benefits for a community, such as promoting safety through vigilance and mutual support among residents, as well as emotional well-being by providing a sense of belonging and support. It also facilitates local problem-solving by uniting the community to address common concerns more effectively.

A close-knit community promotes care for the local environment, as residents feel more invested in the quality of their neighborhood. In short, neighborhood cohesion strengthens ties between neighbors and improves the quality of life in the community.

1.2 · Our party

For this day, we’ve organized ourselves so that each family brings something to the party. While the parents join together to join the tables we’ve been able to gather in the middle of the street, the little ones arrive with their favorite cookies. Our neighbor across the street appears with a still-steaming quiche, and at the end of the street, her teenage son approaches with about twenty baguettes. The Italians bring focaccias and sparkling wine. We leave the house with a potato omelet, a nice cold gazpacho, and a tablecloth from L’atelierme.

I find it impressive how, with every little detail, we improvise a diverse and colorful banquet, delicious and welcoming.

The celebration gives our street a special aura. We laugh and catch up, newcomers introduce themselves and integrate easily. The funniest neighbor dares to sing, and the little ones run around and hide under the tables. The bonds between neighbors are strengthened, promising more frequent get-togethers in the future.

The sun slowly sets as the food dwindles and the neighbors disappear. Cleaning up is an easy and quick task because it’s shared and done amidst last laughs and friendly conversations.

The celebration comes to an end. The night empties the street, but in each house, the echo of music and laughter transforms into a melody of camaraderie that endures over time. Smiles linger on the faces of those who shared laughter and dancing.

You can feel the human warmth that can only emerge from the complicity and affection between people who share the same space. Today, on our street, you can sense a deeper sense of belonging, as if each neighbor were part of a larger family.

By María Palazón Ros

Frame: Cédric Messemanne