Porches are popular again. Why spending time out front is coming back — and helping people build community. - chof 360 news

Spending an evening (or the whole day!) chilling on your porch feels like something from a bygone era. But it’s still a common practice — and one that can foster a community spirit.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development shows the number of new builds with porches hovered consistently between 59% and 64% of homes for more than a decade, from 2009 to 2022. By 2023, that average had climbed: Over two-thirds of new homes built that year featured porches, most commonly front-facing. If you look through a regional lens, though, you get more insight. A whopping 87% of mid-pandemic 2021 builds in Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi featured porches, for obvious reasons: People wanting to spend time with others, safely and outdoors, in states where you’re not too likely to freeze from doing so.7 f

Here’s what we can learn from those who love to spend time porch-sitting — plus what experts say about the home trend and its what it means for community.

A shift outdoors

“Porches are natural thresholds, a space where indoor and outdoor mingle, a kind of perpetual in-between space,” Susannah Felts, co-founder of the aptly named literary nonprofit the Porch, tells chof360 Life. “You can't be too formal on a porch,” Felts adds. “You can often be barefoot. Porches are where we go when we want to be outside, outdoors — but not too.”

Cassi Hallam of System Pavers, which specializes in designing outdoor living spaces, agrees that the porch’s draw is its in-betweenness. Before the pandemic, she says, many homeowners prioritized privacy. “But when gathering indoors wasn't an option, front yards became a safe and welcoming space to casually connect,” Hallam tells chof360 Life. “That shift highlighted how much we value community.”

Front or back yard?

The big difference here is privacy: A back porch would historically be for lounging and entertaining, says Hallam, and a front porch “for curb appeal." But, she adds, "we’re seeing a shift; homeowners are spending more time in their front yards, whether it’s for morning coffee or casual socializing.” After all, the front porch is a prime spot for a spontaneous, I-was-just-in-the-neighborhood catch-up compared to the backyard, which is more often reserved for more intimate, pre-planned gatherings.

“The benefits of a more engaged front yard are significant,” Hallam says. “It encourages stronger neighborhood bonds … and fosters a greater sense of safety.” She says that in the building industry lately, instead of traditional front porches, she’s seeing a reimagining of the front entryway with patios, walkways, micro-porches and defined seating areas that are designed to be welcoming. They “encourage front-yard relaxation,” Hallam adds.

Of course, local zoning and design requirements often dictate how and where a front porch can exist at all, architect Jay Reinert tells chof360 Life. “Large-scale developments do not necessarily focus on community. Thus, a covered entry is used and porches are not even offered as an option,” he says. But when permits allow, Reinert says he is “pro-porch.”

Tim Heneveld of outdoor home styling company Pergolux tells chof360 Life that front porches, not back, are “unmatched when building community.” Why? “Sitting out front opens the door (literally) for natural conversations and connections,” he says. “It’s where quick chats can turn into friendships, and there’s something powerful in that.”

He believes that homeowners spend too much energy designing private backyards and back porches for entertaining, and in doing so front porches become “overlooked opportunities for connection.” If you have a front porch that’s fallen into disuse, Heneveld recommends making just a few thoughtful edits — adding chairs, a small garden, a fresh coat of paint — to transform it “into a space that invites conversation and builds relationships.”

Porches and the people who love them

After 32 years of living in the same home, Oklahoman Cindy Dees decided to switch up her porch-sitting worldview.

“I used to sit on my back porch and read or just relax,” Dees tells chof360 Life. Then, a shift: “I decided to be more neighborly and do my porch-sitting [in] the front,” she says. She redesigned her front porch, a 10' x 10' covered space, adding a colorful rug, wicker chairs and sofas and bright teal cushions. Now, Dees says, the porch is a draw for the whole neighborhood.

“You can't miss it,” she says of her colorful porch oasis. “As I sit outside reading the paper, my neighbors walk by and stop for a chat. … One gal who lives [the next] street over likes to come over and sit with me on Saturday nights and drink margaritas. She sends me texts asking if it's a ‘porch night.’” Dees has since added tables, a cooler, plants, candles, space heaters and even a television set. “It's really become a full-fledged living space for me and my neighbors,” she says.

And in Florida, dad of three Robert Washington says hanging out on the porch has been great for his family and their neighbors. “We spend a majority of our afternoons on our front porch, watching our kids play in the front yard,” he tells chof360 Life. He says their porch-sitting has even had a ripple effect, drawing the neighborhood kids over on their bikes and scooters when they see the Washingtons camped out comfortably. “Their parents will be with them,” he says, “and we will all sit out front and socialize, [along with] our next-door neighbors, who are empty nesters.”

Washington loves porch-sitting for two reasons: “It helps get the kids out of the house and off of their electronic devices, and it gives all of the neighbors a place to come and socialize,” he says.

“Porches are places where people gather to catch up, share stories, play music, gossip, relax, take a load off,” adds Felts.

But don't just take her word for it: Froswa Booker-Drew wrote the book (literally) on how front porches can be a place of connection. “I remember as a child visiting my grandparents and other relatives who had front porches,” Booker-Drew, author of Front Porch Wisdom, tells chof360 Life. "There was so much wisdom I heard from elders," she says.

Front porches, she adds, served as spaces for convening and sharing information, and even as an unofficial neighborhood watch. That's something we can all benefit from today. Says Booker-Drew: "In a world of increasing polarization, we need more opportunities to connect and be proximate to one another."