They express our values and culture and define the way we live and work together. Like biotic communities in the natural world, they form the complex patterns that we make upon the land.
Neighborhoods are important in real estate because they have a strong influence on property values.
The word neighborhood usually describes a residential area while the word district usually refers to a commercial area. Whether neighborhood or district, the dynamics and principles remain the same. The neighborhood as we know it probably sprang to life in medieval Europe, where craft and merchant guilds occupied various quarters of the walled city. The guilds built churches, founded schools and defended their section of the wall against invaders. Guild members worked together, ate together and even slept together in common halls.