For a long time now I've had a love affair with cities. I grew up in a suburban environment and it just didn't suit me. It's not a place that truly encourages a creative life. People drive down the block to the grocery store. Restaurants are located in strip malls and in the big parking lots of really big shopping malls. People live on streets that are lined with houses that all look the same and there's a lot of pressure for everyone there to act the same, live their lives pretty much the same, and yes, think the same. Never was for me. My life doesn't adhere closely enough to the middle.
My wife Babs grew up in a small town in Iowa with a population of 1,000 people. Oh my. What do you say about places like that? Everybody knows everybody else. Everybody talks about everybody else. It's perfectly safe to walk anywhere in such a place, but nobody does. Because these places are so small, there isn't much to offer in the way of restaurants, entertainment, or culture. You have to drive long stretches of highway to get to places that do. Go to the grocery store in these places and the selection is extremely limited. Once again you have to drive long stretches of highway to get to someplace that has a good grocery store. Want entertainment that isn't available on TV? Get on the highway. Do something the least bit out of the ordinary and people begin to wonder "What's gotten into him? Thinks he's better than the rest of us. Hrrmmmphh!" Norman Rockwell may have made it look lovely, but frankly most kids with a little smarts and drive can't wait to leave. Exceptions? Sure. Your father may own the local bank or a major business in town and you're going to inherit that if you stick around. Otherwise, see you later alligator. And as for me, I don't think there small town America can afford to support the lifestyle to which I've become accustomed. They pay me more in the city and I don't have to spend all my time driving someplace where there are things I want.
When I was in college I met a few kids who came from serious rural areas. I knew a few kids I'd grown up with who fantasized about "getting back to the land" (Did I say that I grew up with the Woodstock Generation?) and decided to live a more natural life in rural America. Build your own house. Grow your own food. Be self-sufficient. Fall off the grid. Frankly, that's a lot more hard work than it's cracked up to be, and even more difficult to sustain. Not really economically viable in modern America. For the record, the USA is the largest agricultural producer in the world, but most successful farmers are Corporate Farmers. Do I need to repeat that? Go big or go home. One other thing about rural America. There's a lot of poverty. Ever wonder why most of the crystal meth in America is produced in rural areas? At any rate, most kids who grow up in farming leave it. A measly few get big enough to survive. Big brain drain here just as in small town America. And when you get really rural, a lot of wing nuts go there so as not to be noticed by the cops, FBI, and other assorted enforcers of law and order. Not a place for such as I.
At any rate, I migrated to a city, and then a larger city, and then an even larger city. Turns out now there is one more reason to like the city. Your carbon footprint is, for the most part, smaller in the city. What's that? Yes, cities, for the most part, are greener than are suburbs, small towns, and even rural areas. How's that possible? Well hang tight a moment and I'll tell you. And for the record, global warming is real! Deny, deny, deny all you corporate interests who benefit massively in dollars and cents from policies that allow you to raise global temperatures and melt the ice caps. Still doesn't alter the fact that it's real. We recognize that your competing scientific studies are funded by your corporation and the facts are a bit skewed.
Turns out people in the city are closer together and generally occupy fewer square feet. Lots of people like to move out of the cities because you can buy a bigger house, but that bigger house costs more to heat and cool and uses more energy per person. Turns out there is easy access to public transportation in the city and fewer people need to drive their own vehicles. They can get anywhere they want using buses and trains (that are electric, for the record) and end up polluting the air by fewer parts per million than those persons in non-urban areas who have to drive everywhere. Just need a car every now and then? There are companies that specialize in renting small, energy efficient vehicles for use on an as-needed basis. Then there is the fact that, in the city, it is possible to walk most places. Neighborhoods have sufficient numbers of businesses to support the surrounding populace and people walk to stores, to restaurants, to parks, and sometimes just to enjoy a summer evening. Let's get real. There are a lot of people who still drive in the city, but because parking is at a premium and gasoline is expensive more people in cities drive small energy efficient vehicles. They just make sense expense-wise and they're easier to park.
In another case of "I forget just where I read it" I read an article last week about a study that showed that life in the suburbs was actually more expensive than life in the city. People in the burbs pay more for their houses' upkeep, utilities, and energy because they are generally larger. They have to drive more and end up paying more in gasoline and upkeep on their vehicles. Large numbers work in the city and have to spend inordinate amounts of time driving or taking the train into the city and back. That cheap house with the big yard ends up costing more in the long run.
There are obviously cases where people in suburbs, small towns, and rural areas reduce their carbon footprint by installing solar collectors, by taking any number of steps to make themselves concerned citizens who wish to preserve our planet. They are the exception rather than the rule. A lot of people are scare to death of the large cities. There are an awful lot of Americans who glorify the cleaner air, the space to move and breathe, the lack of crime. Yet I enjoy a lakefront with miles and miles of freedom to run, to bike, to swim. I live within blocks of the greatest restaurants in the world and walk to them. I still use more energy than I should and have a carbon footprint that is too big, but I daresay I'd put my footprint up against that of 98-99% of Americans. Chicago or the North Woods? No contest. I'll take Chicago and pollute less in the bargain.
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