In modern cities an increasing number of people do not know their neighbor and never feel a sense of community. What are the causes of this situation? How can we change it?

In an era when a growing proportion of the population lives in urban regions, the phenomenon that residents tend to be unfamiliar with their neighbors and lack a sense of community and belonging has 1become a widespread concernsparked an intense debate. From my perspective, the prevalence of the Internet and urbanization trends may contribute to this phenomenon. In order to address it, the government should take immediate and effective measures. To begin with, there is no denying that the popularity of the Internet and portable digital devices, including mobile phones, tablets and laptops, weakens relationships among neighbors. With their convenience and efficiency in communication, individuals 2have become accustomedget accustomed to utilizing mobile phones to interact with their friends or 3family membersfamilies, which can transcend geographical and temporal barriers. However, online chatting characterized by insufficient face-to-face communication may impair people’s 4abilitycapabilities to distinguish others’ emotions through subtle facial expressions and body 5languagegestures. 6Therefore, when people want to socialize with their neighbors, they tend to ignore their genuine feelings. Besides, 7excessive screen timedigital indulgence means that 8usersnetizens are immersed in the virtual world and activities such as scrolling through short videos, playing games and chatting with strangers, reducing their free time for offline communication with neighbors. More importantly, due to the configuration of modern cities and 9the structure of buildingsstructure of buildings, it is difficult for citizens to become acquainted with their neighbors. Undoubtedly, compared to the past when dwellers inhabited bungalows with large public spaces, contemporary cities are packed with apartments and skyscrapers 10where individual privacy comes at the expense of shared spaces that foster interpersonal connectionswhere people’s privacy is being strengthened at the expense of public areas for social interaction to promote interpersonal relationships. First and foremost, the government can allocate more funds towards the construction of community centers with more amenities, which can enable neighbors to engage in communal activities and 11get to know one anothermake acquaintances with each other. Local authorities could also launch community-based initiatives to encourage in-person interaction, for example by organising neighbourhood festivals, volunteer programmes and market days to bring residents together.