Sociology

When I think about it, the whole crux of urbanity vs. suburban living comes down to sociology. How do people live? Why do they prefer their style of living? What cultural and environmental influences affect this?

Because this can be such an esoteric conversation, I'm going to keep it short.

I've noticed some commonalities between various urban areas. There tend to be a lot of cultural outlets - opera, galleries, symphonies, night clubs, unique restaurants, theaters (I mean, the kind where you can see a musical or a live band, not the kind where you find Hollywood's latest flick), museums, you get the idea. There is often more artistic architecture, more historical buildings, and more history, for that matter.

I've also noticed some commonalities between various suburban areas. Chili's, McDonalds, strip malls, business parks, cookie cutter homes, cookie cutter McMansions, parks, good school districts, movie theaters, malls, and the like.

This all leaves me with a couple of conclusions - it may sound judgmental, so forgive me, but I'll speak my thoughts anyway. First off, urban living seems to offer a broad array of cultural options, while suburbia offers consistency without culture.

Second, suburbia seems to be the choice of place to raise children. Parents (and I know, I'm raising 5 kids) value safety, good schools, places for the kids to play, and enough elbow room to make the family feel comfortable. On the other hand, urban areas have long been thought of as unsafe, having lackluster school options (unless you're paying for the top prep school in your city), with no play areas and smaller living spaces. That leaves the urban areas to singles, couples without children, or empty-nesters.

So, since I've spouted off so much about the merits of urban living, how can the two styles be reconciled? In my mind, it comes down to making the urban lifestyle appealing to parents. Improve schools, or, in cities where schools are already good, get the word out. Plan cities that offer an urban lifestyle with parks nearby. Ensure safety. Make urban areas work for families.

Then, get the word out. The stigma of urban cities not being great for families lives on if no one knows about the alternatives. If parents know their kids are getting a great education in an environment with lots of culture and variety, if they can be assured of safety and places for kids to play, and put the problems of suburban living behind them, isn't that the best of both worlds?