Today’s message is several months old, but I did not post it back then. Since I haven’t written anything recently I am sending this old one now. If you aren’t interested, just skip it and don’t complain to me.
Some months ago my son and I drove into a big city that I had never seen before because I have ben a small town resident for most of my life. Imedietely I was overwhelmed by such a noisy, crowded and dirty city for the first time and later I had a lot of trouble later getting around in it
But I should have been prepared for that shock, because I had already read newspaper articles about the great poverty and violence going on in large cities across the country. They weren’t caused by criminals trying to take over a city but by new buildings and fast growing populations with inadequate housing and low-paying jobs. If what I had been reading in newspapers was accurate, those conditions were not going to get any better in the future.
What bothers me most about the mess in big cities is that I lived in smaller cities with businesses and had no problems. For instance, in Portland there is Nike, a company that has been making and selling their products for years and hasen’t damaged the city at all because it built outside the town rather than inside it. Why haven’t other cities done the same?
Well, there is an answer to that question. In most instances companies decided to move into a city because it is the most attractive and convenient place for their employees and buyers. And the fact that problems were created for shoppers and walkers just didn’t matter.
Although “what is done, is done”, there is plenty of space in our country for businesses to make better choices and serve everyone well. Although distant areas may be more expensive than nearby ones, they could provide better living for rural people and their children.
The Treasure Hunter 
I agree! If everyone (meaning, young adults) insists on living within walking distance of their job in the heart of the city, why on earth have we spent billions of dollars on light-rail lines to the suburbs?
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