I’m from New York City, an extremely large city in the state of New York in the United States. The neighborhoods in New York differ immensely, you can find an urban-downtown mostly in Manhattan but you can also find the suburbs, which are mostly located in Queens, Long Island. Where I live in New York (Roosevelt Island) is sort of a mixture of the urban and suburban environments. It’s 5 minutes away from Manhattan, there are buildings but there isn’t the chaos of the city, it’s very quiet and completely surrounded by the East River so it’s quite relaxing and beautiful there. The population of New York is of 19.8 million residents making this city the most populous metropolitan area. I absolutely love the city of New York and the fact that I have the chance to live right in the middle of it. I moved to New York when I was 8 years old, from Marseille France, due to my mother’s job as a diplomat and I have not left since (besides coming to Penn State). I’ve gotten very used to the skyscrapers, the fast-paced environment, the cranky pedestrians that are always on a mission no matter what time of the day it is to the point that I sometimes forget that most of the United States is nothing like New   York City. One thing I dislike very much about the city on the other hand, is the fact that it is so polluted; you can walk down the streets of Manhattan and literally just be inhaling toxic air.

The next city that I’m going to talk about is Boston Massachusetts and I chose this city because of the similarities that it shares with New York as well as some small differences. Boston is also a city that incorporates urban, pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods (e.g Beacon Hill, Boston, MA) as well as suburban neighborhoods (e.g Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA). One way that it differs to New York City however, is the fact that New York City does not have any Streetcar suburbs. People that live in the suburbs have to walk long distances to the nearest metro station or take a bus to the metro station which also isn’t always too close to people’s homes. This is very beneficial for the city’s environment because less energy is consumed by means of transportation as well as the health of the population. Individuals are forced to not be lazy and exercise when it comes to reaching some of their destinations, even if it’s to the nearest bus stop. New York City should take Boston’s lead and develop more attractive Pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods to motivate people to walk more.

The next city that I’m choosing to focus on is Copenhagen, a small city and the capital of Denmark. I’ve actually been here myself twice and I absolutely adore the way that this city is laid out, driver-friendly but also very much pedestrian and eco-friendly with its car-free streets and slow speed zones. Copenhagen is one of those gorgeous cities in which you actually want to walk in, take the time to observe the land/city scape. Biking is also a very big part of the culture in this city and cyclist don’t have to fear for their lives worrying that a driver might knock them over. This is something that the ultra-busy, packed and fast-paced New York City should definitely copy. It would be amazing if there were more areas in New York where residents could walk around slowly, sit, engage in fun activities or just enjoy the amazing view of the city without all the traffic and chaos. All the changes that Copenhagen has made in order to accommodate its citizens has also led to a more connected and friendly community and simply a better quality of life.