The Vanishing Porch

How could all of these erudite luminaries omit the demise of the “church key,” without which no beer bust in my college days could have come to fruition? But more important still—far more important—is the demise of sidewalks, front porches, and swings. Sidewalks made neighbors; neighbors made neighborhoods; neighborhoods made communities in which everyone knew each other for blocks around with no locked doors.