SuBOREbia Lacks Benefits of City, Rural Areas

By Maithri Nimmagadda
 
As a wise sage once said, the ideal is to have “the best of both worlds.” Unfortunately, the suburbs often feel like the worst of both worlds. The suburbs are the combination of the city and rural area, yet they lack the benefits of both.

The city is bustling with museums, malls, concerts, internships, odd jobs, and many more activities. The city holds the opportunities, especially for teenagers, to conveniently have a very busy and social life. Life is so convenient in the city because of the subway and bus systems as well as the proximity of stores and businesses. Conversely, transportation in the suburbs relies on personal cars rather than public transport. Not only are cars inconvenient because of their expense but also because of restrictions such as the age requirement to drive them. Transportation that relies on cars discriminates against people with less money, kids under the age of 16, and children with busy parents. Children are forced to be dependent on their parents to have active social lives and, thus, children cannot learn how to be independent.

Unlike the city, the rural area offers a life immersed in nature, which the suburbs only nominally offer. The countryside has forests and greenery that is often part of the culture and daily activities. Hiking, exploring, and swimming in nature are more accessible and common in rural areas because of the landscape. Land tends to be cheaper here as well, so it is easier for people to maintain more area for a house and greenery. Often rural areas also have more local farms that provide families with locally grown food and many teenagers with work, allowing them to get a valuable labor experience that enforces hard work, responsibility, and independence. Although the suburbs can have state parks and forests, the culture usually relies less on outdoor and nature activities compared to the rural areas.

In conclusion, the suburbs have some of the benefits of both the city and rural areas but lack the major attributes of both areas.
 
 

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