Retirement Communities, why no block wall fences? (Peoria, Sun City: homes, landscaping)

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

I think ? the earlier parts of Sun City deliberately avoided backyard walls (you can see all the way down thru everybody's yards) to create a sense of openness and encourage neighborliness (is that a word?!)....

Amen. We like to be able to interact with our neighbors and develop relationships. We never know when we might need some help or they might need ours.

I absolutely hate walls.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

Amen. We like to be able to interact with our neighbors and develop relationships. We never know when we might need some help or they might need ours.

I absolutely hate walls.

You can do those things and not have to share a backyard with no privacy.

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

Amen. We like to be able to interact with our neighbors and develop relationships. We never know when we might need some help or they might need ours.

I absolutely hate walls.

Can't people interact/develop relationships with people with fenced yards? We've had no problem doing that over the years and our neighbors around us haven't either.

[BestintheWest]

Originally Posted by caryberry

Not building a wall or fence is nothing more than a cost saving factor for the builder. Not social science just $$$

100% correct.

I was told by the builders in several 55+ that no fences made for good neighbors, my reply was no fences saves the builder money. They all gave me a strange look.

[tijlover]

Walls also present a danger in senior communities.

The danger! Senior falls and breaks his/her hip in the backyard, surround by high cinder block walls, no one sees it, no one even hears the groans and yelling for help!

I work in a LTC/rehab facility and that happened to one of my patients. 85YO, senior community, block walls surrounding the graveled backyard, she fell, too weak to call out for help, she dragged her frail body over the graveled backyard, on her back, mind you, until she had managed to crawl to the front of the house where someone finally saw her a few hours later!

I call Las Vegas the Walled City, hundreds of miles of cinder block walls covering the Valley, which make great canvasses for the graffiti crowd, and to continually clean up the graffiti in this city: $30 million a year!

Do you really want that in the Phoenix area?

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by tijlover

Walls also present a danger in senior communities.

The danger! Senior falls and breaks his/her hip in the backyard, surround by high cinder block walls, no one sees it, no one even hears the groans and yelling for help!

I work in a LTC/rehab facility and that happened to one of my patients. 85YO, senior community, block walls surrounding the graveled backyard, she fell, too weak to call out for help, she dragged her frail body over the graveled backyard, on her back, mind you, until she had managed to crawl to the front of the house where someone finally saw her a few hours later!

I call Las Vegas the Walled City, hundreds of miles of cinder block walls covering the Valley, which make great canvasses for the graffiti crowd, and to continually clean up the graffiti in this city: $30 million a year!

Do you really want that in the Phoenix area?

Are you under the impression that we don't already have block walls in the vast majority of neighborhoods?

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by tijlover

Walls also present a danger in senior communities.

The danger! Senior falls and breaks his/her hip in the backyard, surround by high cinder block walls, no one sees it, no one even hears the groans and yelling for help!

Actually I would think that's more likely to occur within a house where no one can hear the yelling for help.

In any case, if this is a real concern, Life Alert and like services solve that problem.

[wit-nit]

Here's a good example of why they shouldn't have block fences in Sun City. This couple laid dead for several days in their back yard just off the patio and as you can see the fence prevented anyone from seeing them. Eventually someone looked over the fence and called the police.
MCSO: No foul play for 2 dead on Sun City patio - ABC15 Arizona

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by wit-nit

Here's a good example of why they shouldn't have block fences in Sun City. This couple laid dead for several days in their back yard just off the patio and as you can see the fence prevented anyone from seeing them. Eventually someone looked over the fence and called the police.
MCSO: No foul play for 2 dead on Sun City patio - ABC15 Arizona

Two old people died in their backyard so there should be a city-wide ban on block walls? You're not being serious, are you?

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by wit-nit

Here's a good example of why they shouldn't have block fences in Sun City. This couple laid dead for several days in their back yard just off the patio and as you can see the fence prevented anyone from seeing them. Eventually someone looked over the fence and called the police.
MCSO: No foul play for 2 dead on Sun City patio - ABC15 Arizona

While certainly a tragedy, using the same logic, should we remove walls in a home for seniors because the same thing could happen and no one could see them?

Too live in fear because of what might happen I believe is no way to live. And besides, a Life Alert type service solves all these issues and gives the choice of a fence for their own privacy if this is something a senior wants. My grandmother had this type of service and it gave her freedom and peace of mind to live where she wanted to live.