I think Natasha is right in saying that we cannot judge a city as “good” or “bad” based on mere economic value. Each city is distinct in its own subculture, its own unique flavors, so to compare New York City with Chicago in terms of which is “better” would be comparing apples to oranges. A city may appear to be a slum, but can you put a price tag on strong communal bonds or the packed churches so many of these neighborhoods boast?
When I read the line in Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities, “…planners, including highwaymen with fabulous sums of money and enormous powers at their disposal, are at a loss to make automobiles and cities compatible with one another,” the immediate image that popped into my head was the morning traffic on the Van Wyck so many of us experience daily as we commute to our beautiful campus. Commuting is a basic component of life in New York City. We all do it, we all need to get from point A to B. So why is it that the streets of NYC always seem to be congested and traffic is frequently at a standstill? Is poor urban planning to blame?
