Cities are for Adults
After moving out of one of the greatest urban metropolis in the world and into one of the most remote places on the planet - I realize:
Cities are for Adults
The metropolis I moved from: New York City, is definitely geared for adults. Yes, there are children there - after spending time outside of New York City, I really see that all cities cater to adults and children are an after thought. Reasons why I believe this:
- Getting around with strollers
- Activities for children
- Space for children
There’s a caveat - I was a parent in New York City when my children were under five years old. Also, I grew up in a small city, almost a town when comparing to New York City - these are definitely my perceptions.
Strollers and the City
I didn’t live directly in the middle of New York City, whenever I went in, we drove and parked. After putting away the car, we would have strollers for the kids to help keep them mobile.
In New York - getting around with a stroller is challenging.
Anytime there’s a set of stairs, I would look for an elevator - that is always a challenge depending on the subway station.
On a crowded or narrow street - I definitely feel the stroller is a challenge.
Using any other form of transportation where I fold up the stroller - wow, I feel so stressed when the stroller takes up space that another person can use.
Cities are for walking, not for strollers.
Children Activities
When I see a playground in the city, it just seems so small. Children’s museums in the cities are smaller compared to the ones I took my child in the suburb.
Probably what broke my heart the most is seeing children lining up to do playground activites because of the limited facilities.
There are definitely activities for children in the city - I found it a challenge to get to them because, I had to use a stroller.
Maybe this is due to my economic stature while living in the city?
For a large cities, why aren’t there more children activities where businesses can ammortize the cost over the population density??
Oh right, because cities have adults.
Space
Probably the thing that is the root cause for why cities are not for children: there’s just less space!
While children may be small - they need space to run and jump around.
Any open space in the city is just taken up by real estate - hence, there’s limited space.
While I tried to work around this by living in the suburbs so my family would have more space - every time I came into the city with my family, I just felt the push out of the city as a parent.
Families in the City
For those that grew up or parents of children in the city, I salute you. You are much better than me in navigating (or challenging) the city with children.
Life in the city with a family is possible, I’m not sure if I can handle it after living with my family in the country.