About

 
 

The most important policy I have is my Porch Policy

I will do everything in my power as President to remake America back into a Front Porch Society and away from a Back Patio Society. You can and should have both, but I think the default should be a front porch society.

A Front Porch Society is one where neighbors greet one another by name, kids play within earshot of multiple households, and civic life spills naturally into the street. By contrast, a Back Patio Society prizes privacy over presence—garages swallow people before greetings can occur, and social media replaces sidewalk chatter. Both spaces have value, but when the back patio becomes the default, civic trust erodes.

Why Front Porches Matter

  1. Proximity breeds empathy. Regular, low-stakes contact with people who differ from us softens polarization and grows social capital.

  2. Safety through visibility. Eyes on the street deter crime more effectively than cameras alone.

  3. Civic apprenticeship for kids. Children who see adults exchanging favors, ideas, and disagreements in public learn democracy by osmosis.

  4. Economic vitality. Walkable, porch-lined blocks boost small-business foot traffic and raise property values without resorting to sterile “lifestyle centers.”

Presidential Action Plan

PillarConcrete Steps

Design & Zoning

• Tie federal infrastructure and HUD grants to “porch-oriented” codes: setbacks that favor stoops, wider sidewalks alleys for play/walking/bikes, narrower streets for slower traffic, and tiered public transportation
• Launch a Porch Restoration Tax Credit for adding or refurbishing front porches on existing homes.

Public Space Revival

• Double funding for Main Street programs; require benches, shade trees, and broadband in downtown cores.
• “20-Minute City” initiative: urban and suburban Americans should be able reach a library, café, or park within a 20-minute walk or bike ride.

Civic Rituals

• National Porch Friday—a spring holiday encouraging block-level potlucks and music (think mini–Fourth of July without the fireworks).
• Grants for libraries and community centers to host “Front-Porch Forums” that pair local issues with free child care and food.

Digital Front Porch

• Support open-source, locally moderated social platforms that tether online discussion to verified geographic communities, reducing anonymous flame-wars and boosting accountability.Education & Culture• Partner with the National Endowment for the Arts to fund “Story from the Steps,” recording inter-generational oral histories on neighborhood porches.
• Update civics curricula to include place-based projects—students map neighborhood assets and host town-hall porches.

Measuring Success

  • Social-trust surveys: annual uptick in respondents who “trust neighbors to do the right thing.”

  • Footfall data on main streets vs. baseline year.

  • Volunteerism rate and mutual-aid registrations per ZIP code.

  • Crime statistics: specifically vandalism and petty theft reductions in porch-oriented zones.

The Invitation

A Front Porch Society isn’t nostalgic escapism; it’s a pragmatic antidote to isolation. The Presidency can’t legislate friendship, but it can nudge architecture, incentives, and culture so that the most convenient choice is also the most communal. Step out the front door—America is waiting on the stoop.