3 ms·

"He calls suburbia ugly. I call cracked cement as far as the eye can see, decrepit buildings, urine stench, and steam rising from manhole covers far more aesthe

"He calls suburbia ugly. I call cracked cement as far as the eye can see, decrepit buildings, urine stench, and steam rising from manhole covers far more aesthetically offensive than any Target. (I might take it over some Wal-Marts though.)" There's no doubt that urbanism can be done badly. But when it is done well, it is an absolute pleasure. For example, I live in Paris, which is a highly urbanised city (obviously). Paris has very few parks, and very few private gardens (frontyards). But it is far and away more pleasurable to walk around Paris than to walk around, say, London. They have put a lot of effort into making tree-lined boulevards the defining feature of the city's streets. The very inner city lacks this, but makes up for it with a rich tapistry of shops, bars, cafés and restaurants. It took me about 3 years of walking around Paris (yes, you do wlk here, which is kind of the point!) before I got blasé about the whole experience. i mean, it's still brilliant,it's just that today it's what I expect of a city, and if I don't get that expeience when walking about another city, I tend to write that city off as an option for where I should live.

mattmaroon 18y ago
Well, Paris is a statistical outlier in that respect. Even still, I still have that primal human urge to look out my window and see trees. I think suburbanism can be done badly too, but is also very pleasurable done well.
hugh 18y ago
I agree, Paris is a great place to walk around. But in practical terms, what's it like to try and raise three children in a place where only the super-rich can afford to have a back yard? If the folks in Clichy-sous-Bois lived in ugly low-density suburbs would they still feel the need to riot every two months?
- demallien 18y ago
  Well, I don't have any kids, but I do have lots of friends that are raising their children whilst living in Paris. The first thing to note is that there is generally a park somewhere nearby where the children can play. Not always, but most of the time. I imagine there aren't many families living in the areas without parks. Secondly, for families with kids under the age of about 10 (when they can start to navigate streets on foot all by themselves), there's always the suburbs. But once kids are old enough to get around by themselves, I would think that they appreciate living in the city as much as I do. Thirdly, places like Clichy Sous Bois are pretty much the exact worst solution to providing living space. It's like they've taken the worst bits of suburbia, and the worst bits of urban living, and mashed them together, taking great care that none of the good parts are included.

mattmaroon 18y ago

Well, Paris is a statistical outlier in that respect. Even still, I still have that primal human urge to look out my window and see trees. I think suburbanism can be done badly too, but is also very pleasurable done well.

hugh 18y ago

I agree, Paris is a great place to walk around. But in practical terms, what's it like to try and raise three children in a place where only the super-rich can afford to have a back yard? If the folks in Clichy-sous-Bois lived in ugly low-density suburbs would they still feel the need to riot every two months?

demallien 18y ago
Well, I don't have any kids, but I do have lots of friends that are raising their children whilst living in Paris. The first thing to note is that there is generally a park somewhere nearby where the children can play. Not always, but most of the time. I imagine there aren't many families living in the areas without parks. Secondly, for families with kids under the age of about 10 (when they can start to navigate streets on foot all by themselves), there's always the suburbs. But once kids are old enough to get around by themselves, I would think that they appreciate living in the city as much as I do. Thirdly, places like Clichy Sous Bois are pretty much the exact worst solution to providing living space. It's like they've taken the worst bits of suburbia, and the worst bits of urban living, and mashed them together, taking great care that none of the good parts are included.