The approach of graduation and the completion of my academic career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have come suddenly. Really, it only seems like reality now that I’ve got all my final preparations set and everything is ready to go to finish up as a student here. Time to say my goodbyes. The decision to write for The Daily Cardinal was perhaps one of my better decisions in the last four years. I want to thank my friends and family for their engagement and encouragement as well as the awesome staff who helped me along the way.
My plan is to move back to Chicago in the very near future. I’m excited to go back to my hometown. I miss it a ton and I’m really excited to live in a truly big city again. I know a lot of people though who are moving to Chicago and other big cities for the first time and I can only imagine the excitement of their journeys into the unknown. Enjoy this urban experience, because it’s going to be a truly awesome one.
I want to encourage my neophyte urbanites to consider one thing though: Don’t leave the city when the day comes to start a family. I don’t think it’s any secret that the long-term trend for college students who move to cities is to eventually make their way to the supposed comfort of the suburbs once family life and kids come along. But as a child of the city (remember, Chicago is my hometown, not a suburb of Chicago), I hope I can make some of us reconsider this perhaps, assumed path in life.
It’s understandable why the suburbs continue to seem like the more reasonable option for when kids show up and when we want to settle down. We view cities as noisy places, filled with too many people, and it’s less likely our homes will have big lawns for our kids to play on. Many of us reading this probably also grew up in suburbs and in all likelihood want to mimic the life we had for our children. But let me offer an alternative interpretation.
Cities are noisy, crowded crazy places and yes, homes and yards are smaller (if we even have a yard), but that’s exactly what makes them such great places for families with kids. Kids are resilient little creatures and honestly they seem to like adventure and discovery. Just a hunch. I know I did as a kid. I think we view cities as these big concrete jungles unsuitable for children, because they lack the soft edges of the suburbs. Those soft edges are great and all, but cities have plenty of soft edges too and urban planners, municipal governments and advocacy groups are working hard to make ever more livable cities.
Cities also provide kids with the raw diversity of people, ideas, experiences and choices that the suburbs simply cannot. The exposure is a lesson in understanding a multicultural and diverse society. And the consistent change and flow of people in and out of the city keep those experiences diverse too. The mobility of a city only helps in this exposure and aids a kid’s ability to achieve an incredible amount of personal growth. The navigability of a city, where bikes, walking and mass transit offer options to people who can’t drive, as opposed to car centric suburbs, allows kids to move about on their own and discover the world without the approval or assistance of their parents. Don’t let this prospect seem scary though. That freedom of movement played a huge part in helping me develop personal independence. And I gained a really useful skill: I can read a subway map.
Those smaller homes also push people outside. There is a reason why public spaces and cafe culture is so great in Europe. Smaller homes force people outside as a way to mix things up or escape from family for a while. We might get a big yard in the suburbs, but that probably comes with a big air-conditioned house too. Let’s face it, in the days of video games and Facebook and whatever else our kids have at their disposal, the confines of smaller living quarters might do the trick in getting to spend time outside.
Cities have their share of problems and are far from perfect. I’m from Chicago which is far from the perfect city in any way. But despite this, the experiences I got from living that urban experience as a kid and teenager definitely had more value than what I would have gotten living in the placidity of suburbia, which for the record are far from perfect too.
Growing up in a city was a unique experience for me. The vast majority of people I’ve met in my life grew up in suburbs, small towns or out in the country. I think it seems daunting and unfathomable to raise kids in a city, especially if that’s not the type of place we grew up. But consider it. Perhaps it’s a long way off, but if we’re leaving a city soon and we really like it, why move? Share that joy with our kids.
Michael is a senior graduating in May 2014 and majoring in history and German. Do you agree with his view on city living? Do you prefer the suburbs? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
