--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Community is not something you have, like…" description: "\"Community is not something you have, like pizza. Now is it something you can buy. It's a living organism based on a web of interdependencies- which is ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/james-howard-kunstler-2886_building_community-is-not-something-you-have-like_2143583.jpg" --- # Community is not something you have, like pizza. Now is it… ![“Community is not something you have, like pizza. Now is it something you can buy. It's a living organism based on a web of interdependencies- which is to say, a local economy. It expresses itself physically as connectedness, as buildings actively relating to each other, and to whatever public…” quote by James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/james-howard-kunstler-2886_building_community-is-not-something-you-have-like_2143583.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/james-howard-kunstler-2886_building_community-is-not-something-you-have-like_2143583.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd5/james-howard-kunstler-2886_building_community-is-not-something-you-have-like_2143583.jpg) > “Community is not something you have, like pizza. Now is it something you can buy. It's a living organism based on a web of interdependencies- which is to say, a local economy. It expresses itself physically as connectedness, as buildings actively relating to each other, and to whatever public space exists, be it the street, or the courthouse or the village green.” [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Community is a living network of interdependence, not a commodity; it manifests through shared spaces and mutual connections. **In simple terms:** Community thrives on relationships, not transactions. Key Takeaway Invest in building connections. Themes community interdependence local economy urban design Mood hopeful inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - neighborhood planning - public space design - community events - local business support Key Concepts systems thinking social capital Questions to Reflect On - What ways can you foster genuine interdependence? - How can public spaces strengthen community bonds? A Different Perspective Treating community as a product can undermine its organic growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Connectedness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connectedness/) [Courthouses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courthouses/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Local Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/local-economy/) [Pizza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pizza/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Village](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/village/) ## Related quotes > [“Trying to live without community is like trying to live without oxygen. We weren't created to do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-bethke/trying-to-live-without-community-is-like-trying-to-live-without/) [Jefferson Bethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-bethke/) > [ I don't have a community like a black community to belong to \[with\] a musical platform that's been built for years and years and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/i-don-t-have-a-community-like-a-black-community-to-belong-to-with-a/) M.I.A > [“Nothing builds community like complaining.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/nothing-builds-community-like-complaining/) [Daniel Alarcón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [I could live in a community like 'Fortitude.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dormer/i-could-live-in-a-community-like-fortitude/) [Richard Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dormer/) > [In the deaf community, there is exactly that - a community. It's like nothing I see in the hearing world. It's old fashioned, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-shenton/in-the-deaf-community-there-is-exactly-that-a-community-it-s-like/) [Rachel Shenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-shenton/) > [For me the music community was always like a model for what could be. The way people would play together, just harmony and being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-frisell/for-me-the-music-community-was-always-like-a-model-for-what-could-be/) [Bill Frisell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-frisell/) > [All of us at reddit work here because we think that reddit is a community like none other. We think it can be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yishan-wong/all-of-us-at-reddit-work-here-because-we-think-that-reddit-is-a/) [Yishan Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yishan-wong/) > [Community is like a big family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/community-is-like-a-big-family/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Either you participate in the community like an adult or you leave and do your own thing,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havoc-pennington/either-you-participate-in-the-community-like-an-adult-or-you-leave/) Havoc Pennington > [That’s the way we see life: your community is your survival. And if you live in a small community like this, even the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-chute/that-s-the-way-we-see-life-your-community-is-your-survival-and-if-you/) [Carolyn Chute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-chute/) > [Covenant community is like air. We don't miss it until we need it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/covenant-community-is-like-air-we-don-t-miss-it-until-we-need-it/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [I really like 'Community.' I like the way they're allowed to have a week when they go crazy and use stop-frame animation or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-herring/i-really-like-community-i-like-the-way-they-re-allowed-to-have-a-week/) [Richard Herring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-herring/) > [“You see, whenever we live in relationship, whenever we simply live in proximity to other people, sooner or later we will run up against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/you-see-whenever-we-live-in-relationship-whenever-we-simply-live-in/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/a-community-is-like-a-ship-everyone-ought-to-be-prepared-to-take-the/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [“Community is like a garden, it is an organic living thing; if it is neglected, it can overgrow with weeds and suffer decline. Communities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-bernardi/community-is-like-a-garden-it-is-an-organic-living-thing-if-it-is/) [Cory Bernardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-bernardi/) ## More by James Howard Kunstler > [ The ideas of \[ Le Corbusier \] that actually found their way into practice were deeply destructive - for instance, the tower-in-a-park, which mutated… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/the-ideas-of-le-corbusier-that-actually-found-their-way-into-practice/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [ “On my way out of \[Atlantic City\] at quarter after seven in the morning, a young pump jockey at the gas station \[...\] mentioned… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/on-my-way-out-of-atlantic-city-at-quarter-after-seven-in-the-morning/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [Ahead now, I think you'll see the big nations shrink back into their own corners of the world. I'm not saying we'll see no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/ahead-now-i-think-you-ll-see-the-big-nations-shrink-back-into-their/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [The task we face is reorganizing the systems we depend on for daily life in a way that is consistent with the realities coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/the-task-we-face-is-reorganizing-the-systems-we-depend-on-for-daily/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [White America is tortured by black America's failure to thrive, and all that guilt and anxiety has only gotten worse as a substantial quota…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/white-america-is-tortured-by-black-america-s-failure-to-thrive-and/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [What we face is a comprehensive contraction of our activities, due to declining fossil fuel resources and other growing scarcities. Our failure is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/what-we-face-is-a-comprehensive-contraction-of-our-activities-due-to/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [We're living in a culture that doesn't believe in decorating buildings, or proportioning them properly. And they don't know how to do it anymore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/we-re-living-in-a-culture-that-doesn-t-believe-in-decorating/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [Because I believe a lot of people share my feelings about the tragic landscape of highway strips, parking lots, housing tracts, mega-malls, junked cities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/because-i-believe-a-lot-of-people-share-my-feelings-about-the-tragic/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [No amount or combination of alternative fuels is going to allow us to continue running what we're running, the way we're running it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/no-amount-or-combination-of-alternative-fuels-is-going-to-allow-us-to/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [Everything we do these days - our lust for ever more comfort, pleasure, and distraction, our refusal to engage with the mandates of reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/everything-we-do-these-days-our-lust-for-ever-more-comfort-pleasure/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [There's a lot of wishful thinking that somehow we'll replace fossil fuels with alternative energy sources, but they remain far from reality. We're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/there-s-a-lot-of-wishful-thinking-that-somehow-we-ll-replace-fossil/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [Our twenty-first century economy may focus on agriculture, not information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/our-twenty-first-century-economy-may-focus-on-agriculture-not/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [I think that Obama's failure to reestablish the rule of law in money matters is the most damaging thing that he's done - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/i-think-that-obama-s-failure-to-reestablish-the-rule-of-law-in-money/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [I'm not against Kyoto. I just think it's a fantasy, especially considering China's energy predicament and their coal supplies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/i-m-not-against-kyoto-i-just-think-it-s-a-fantasy-especially/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [The American house has been TV-centered for three generations. It is the focus of family life, and the life of the house correspondingly turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/the-american-house-has-been-tv-centered-for-three-generations-it-is/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) [Explore all 146 James Howard Kunstler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Community is not something you have, like pizza. 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