Throughout the course, there has been a lot of discussion as to what ruins certain aspects of the city, such as community or infrastructure. I am also very interested in what makes a city great. Usually, a city’s outward aspects such as architecture, transit system, and food are the first to be evaluated. A city’s economy, housing, and opportunities are also very important. However, I’ve found in this course that protecting the people in the city and its culture are also very important in making the city great. These factors are much harder to see from the outside; some digging into the city’s policies and laws would reveal the truth. While the outward appearance of a city is always important, it is important not to overlook the residents that make up that city.
The public services and the protections that residents receive are examples of ways a city can take care of its residents. Connectedness is also significant factor in the quality of a resident’s experience of the city. It helps foster a sense of community, where residents develop bonds with one another. This class taught me a lot about what really matters in a city in a humanitarian aspect.
