How Are Our Lives Shaped? Our Urban Environment’s Role in How We Live in the United States

How are our lives shaped? What determines our religion, economic status, or education level? Marx would say that our class, bourgeoisie or proletariat, would define how we live and what opportunities we have. Many sociologists could say that our race and ethnic backgrounds decide the institutions and opportunities we are able to access before we even set foot into this world. They are all correct in their own right. This question requires many perspectives to encompass every angle that could be proposed. One angle that gets overlooked is urban planning. It is the power that shapes the entire urban environment around us and structures how every other aspect of our lives is expressed.

Firstly, a small history lesson: The car was invented in 1886 by Carl Benz (Mercedes-Benz), and by 2017, there were over one billion registered vehicles in the world. The global population went from walking everywhere, to biking everywhere, to using public transport, to now using private automobiles to get around. Historically, not always, which we’ll get to later, cities are built around the most efficient and convenient modes of transportation. 

Cities before the Early Modern Period – 1500 to 1800 –  and earlier had tight streets with storefronts on every street, because walking was the only way of transportation, except for people who rode horses, which, although cool, was not the majority of people. In Venice, Italy, and island nations in the South Pacific Ocean, boats and gondolas are the easiest way to travel. Trains are common in large countries like China and are all over Europe. The most common mode of transportation, especially here in the United States, is automobiles.

What does this have to do with how we live life? Well, in the US, car dependency is almost always conjoined with urban sprawl, which is a type of land development with low density and single-use zoning that is usually correlated with suburbia—think of Houston—and results in more physical separation between people and lower density. People need to move greater distances to access basic amenities. Car-dependent suburban living in the US is associated with lower life expectancy, higher rates of obesity, and higher rates of economic disparity than urban and rural areas. This is not to say that suburbs can’t be done right; just look at streetcar suburbs in Toronto or Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. It is only in places where it is required to have a car to get around that these issues arise.

When I first read this information, I was surprised because suburbs have usually been where affluent people go to start a family, or an escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life, to lead a more fulfilling one. Then I thought about it more, and it began to make sense. Urban areas are usually defined by how dense they are and where opportunities and people are closer together. If you are isolated from this environment by a 10-lane highway, it could be harder to get to your job or access these amenities. Of course, this all depends on the city, which is a good segue to asking what makes a city good? And how can a well-designed city affect us compared to a poorly designed one?

In acclaimed new urbanist Jeff Speck’s book, Walkable City, he argues that “Cities were created to bring things together. The better they do this job, the more successful they become.” The key thing to understand is that successful cities are dense and walkable. When they are dense and walkable, it is easier to get to your job, fill a spontaneous craving for Chipotle, or relax in a park. This allows for more economic stimulation than in a city infested with urban sprawl, where you have to drive 30 minutes to get to your dentist in a sad strip mall. The rule “the denser the city, the better” does not work exclusively. Density reinforces good public transportation, and good public transportation reinforces density. When people can get around in a fast, safe, and comfortable way, people are motivated to get out more. 

To show how good transportation affects our lives, let’s compare two US cities, Houston and Philadelphia, with how they score on the Walk Score website. They both have around 2 million people, but Houston has a Walk Score of 47 and a Bike Score of 36, while Philadelphia has a Walk Score of 75 and a Bike Score of 67 (nice). Houston is a sprawling city of 665 square miles, with Philly being smaller than that at 141 square miles. Houston’s average time to get to work is 34 minutes, and Philadelphia’s is 31. The main advantage of Houston is the cost of living, with it being 5% lower than the national average, compared to Philadelphia’s being 4% above the national average.

In short, living in a dense, easy-to-get-around city gives you more opportunities at your disposal compared to a sprawling suburb where you can only get around with cars. Of course, this is only one data point in the large conversation; zoning, neighborhood design, and accessibility alter different factors in how good your living situation is. Yet denser, more accessible cities allow for more prosperous and fulfilling lives.