I mean how often do you talk to your neighbors? Do you even know them?
I am asking this because I live in a multi-storey building in Sofia, Bulgaria and I barely know and even see my neighbors. Actually I know only one woman from the next apartment and even that is because of her cat who is damaging our hall.
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Not anymore really. It used to be the case that you knew all your neighbours on a first name basis but now you’re lucky if you bid one of them a good morning.
But at the same time we are not confrontational by nature so if something happens we will usually discuss things out in a calm manner.
In Madrid no, I see some of my neighbours sometimes but that’s it. Now back home yes we all know each other and pretty much everything about everyone’s lives since the same families/people have been living there for like 100 years. It’s kinda like a little family in a way. Now there are more new people moving there and with those new we don’t have any type of relationship
Having lived in various rental apartments my whole adult life (age 30 now), i never really knew any neighbours. Not in Zurich or Hamburg or in any smaller town before that.
However growing up in a single family home in a small town, we did know them and and our families would help each other out by watering plants while on holiday, babysitting each others kids and such.
I think more than just a societal change over the last few years or difference between big city and small town it is actually about whether people own or rent.
Growing up we owned our house and so did the other 4 parties on the same dead end street. So it was worth it getting to know each other because you were probably gonna be neighbours with the same handful of people for decades. Whereas in rental apartments people might move any moment, so whats the point of even trying.
Yes. Neighbours are very important where I live. It’s called noaberschap and it is most reflected in several neighborhood parties, taking care of the neighbour’s kids / pets, sick neighbours or just doing the neighbours gardening.
Neighbours are just people who have signed a contract similar to yours.
The longest conversation I’ve ever had with a neighbour is *”Good morning”*.
That and other pleasantries are the only things we say to each other as we meet in the stairwell, on our way to somewhere else.
I know two neighbours’ faces (i.e. could pick-out on a photo); but that is only because one is always on her balcony by the catwalk, and the other live right by the entrance and keep his door open.
I know both of our Neighbours, and the people who live on the other side of them.
I’ve seen some newcomers to our street out and about, and wished them a “Good Morning” as I passed, nothing in reply.
I do think the era of knowing your neighbours and having a sort of local community in the U.K. is slowly coming to an end.
[New housing estates](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2G28FNK/detached-new-build-home-essex-uk-2G28FNK.jpg) seem almost designed for people to come home, shut the door behind them, and not see the outside world again until the next work day. There doesn’t seem to be the old culture of actually getting to know you neighbours, sadly.
I’d imagine this to be more a small town vs city division rather than something that varies per country.
At least here, small towns assume shared community to the point that not saying hi to a stranger that passes by would be seen as extremely rude, while in big cities like Madrid if a stranger approaches you you assume that they’ll try to sell something, try to rip you off or are mentally unwell.
No, neighbors are seen as enemies and competitors in Hungary, who exist to torment and exploit you.
Our neighbor for example is a mafioso, and we can’t do anything against him because his family has been paying off the corrupt police since the 1990s.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that in most countries there’s a clear difference between having neighbours in a city versus having them in a more rural area. The more rural, the more friendly, the more urban, the more cold.
I once saw this instagram reel of a Brazilian lady joking about how different neighbours in Portugal and Brazil are, that in the former they don’t want anything to do with you. But she was basing that off her experience living in Lisbon, so of course people there would be a bit colder. Having lived there as well as in more rural environments, I can tell you that in the latter neighbours tend to be more friendly and do stuff together, as well as share food and produce.
That’s not to say that you don’t get neighbourhoods in cities where there’s a strong sense of community, but it seems those are becoming less and less of a thing. Plus, in the village where I grew up there a lot of foreigners buying and building big houses, and my grandparents moan about their being less of a community now.
It’s not unormal in big cities here to not necesarily know your neighbour. Especially if you live in type of appartment block where you probably rarely meet your neighbour.. In contrast to row houses and villas were you have other outdoor areas, and other social groups living.. type of families with kids/animals.. From time to time hear stories of people having laid dead in their appartment for weeks or months, without any felt alarmed. Even if smell arised. Think people are carefull about not stepping into the others sphere.
In norway it’s quite normal to shelter/screen your self a bit of from your neighbour. In single house areas people normally like to plant [these types](https://lierplanteland.no/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Vintergronne-hekkplanter-Thuja-Brabant-hekk.jpg) (tujas) to avoid people looking into their garden/having to greet/chat with anybody. While curtains etc. seems like a more common thing than in many other countries. Think people are more private than in other couhntries. Many people are also in quarels with neighbours. It’s been said said that norway is among the countries (at least in europe) with the most quarels among neighbours. Most fun case in recent years was a quarel about whether a house was on the neighbours area… Then the other neighbour [cut the house in two](https://www.nrk.no/osloogviken/domt-for-a-kappe-naboens-uthus-i-to-1.14231571) (the part he meant was on his area).. [Here’s](https://g.acdn.no/obscura/API/dynamic/r1/ece5/tr_1000_2000_s_f/0000/moss/2020/9/3/13/IMG_96112.jpg?chk=BE7986) another case of neighbourhood in norway..
I live in a typical rental appartment building in Vienna, I was born in the city and grew up here, so my experience is solely based on that: No, usually you don’t talk to your neighbors except greeting them in the hallway. It’s different if you live in a building where the inhabitants own the appartment, as there’s a meeting of all the appartment owners every year and people are kond of forced to talk and get to know each other for maintenance, repairs and the like. It’s different in the countryside for sure, but I guess it depends whether you live more in a suburb where people commute to the city or if it’s the type of small town where everyone knows everyone… In Vienna, most people prefer not really getting to know their neighbors.
No, it couldn’t be further away from that. If you’ve seen pictures of our cities it’s just enormous blocks of flats everywhere, people don’t even know their neighbours most of the time. Living in an environment like that makes you feel isolated