Why Do Cities Just Make Sense?

An article recently caught my eye in Christianity Today that argued for a rejuvenation of city living for Christians. I found myself interested and agreeing with the position that that Christians are moving into cities at a slower rate then other faiths or non-believers. I did disagree with Keller's arguments, however, for why Christians should live in cities. 


The main reasons to live in the city have nothing to do with quality of life or socialization, rather it is about the sustainability of our children's future. I agreed with the dissenters (@HCameronCloud & @EatWithJoy) that children can and should be raised godly in any environment, be it an island, a farm, a suburb, or a high rise. However, I firmly believe the choices we make as a Christian community need to come from more than purely a social, Christian values perspective. We must start thinking more like the head steward of in Potiphars house and have the discipline of Joseph to survive and succeed with the blessing of God on him.


Working in the community planning world for the last 6 years, I have come to appreciate the economic and social impact of suburban sprawl and the role of american consumerism and materialism in our community developments. What she fails to point out that the greatest reason for Christians to move back to the city is the role of environmental impact and governmental stewardship. As we have seen over the last few years, our dependence on fuel to transport 1-2 people 30-40 minutes to work (national average community time) is driving the demand for more fuel and the gas prices even higher. Not to even elaborate on the infrastructure needs that are required as new developments are built with half acre lots and cul-de-sacs that cause people to live further apart from the places they work and shop, require more paving, more drainage, more fertilizers, and broader public safety efforts.


I do not argue that rural life is vital and fundamental to the economic and cultural fabric of our country but I believe our concept of the white picket fence dream is the cause for much of our financial distress today. Mrs. Keller points out the savings from maintenance, landscaping, storage, and vehicles, are often offset by the higher cost of living in the urban areas. But the biggest benefit to the urban community is in fact the height. We have a continually growing population in which some economist estimate that the demand for housing (multi- and single family housing) will almost double in the next 18 years. That means we can either build out, destroying farmlands, displacing wildlife, polluting waterways, and creating a greater demand for oil, asphalt, and gas (all non-renewable energy sources). Or we can build up, creating denser environments where services (parks, transportation, retail, food) are accessible and municipal funding can be strategically applied rather than spread thin. 

A recent comment on the local website concerning the redevelopment of suburban cities asked, "How many more people(and their cars) do we have to cram into our cities before we realize that we have no more room?" For some reason, I think they missed the point of a "City" and not a town or county. Cities were made to get as many people in a small space that meets their needs (goods, amenities, education, employment, opportunities). 


I read recently that there are an estimated 8 parking spaces for every car in the world. that means that there are so many parking spaces that you could park every car and still have spaces near the front door of every store. I enjoy my car and my vehicular freedom as much as the next person, I'm American aren't I. However, I would give it up for a 10 minute rail and walking commute any day. Where I can take care of some of the household calls, answer emails, and not be concerned about the amount of sleep the Semi-truck drive next to me has had as I drive down the Interstate.


I found some comfort in Rachel Stone's assessment of Keller's worldview as captured here:

Which brings me to a final point about Keller's unfettered praise of city life: Clearly her family wasn't living in West Harlem or sending their kids to one of New York City's at-risk schools. They could afford to live in "better" neighborhoods, to get grocery delivery, to enrich their children's lives with all the cultural offerings, most of which cost money—lots of it. It's easy to romanticize city life when you can pay for a first-class urban experience; less so when you can afford only section 8 housing and spend your food stamps at corner stores that specialize in cola and candy but not produce. Jesus' followers belong in those places, too, but there are no "shoulds" about it.
Or maybe there's just one: You should love God and your neighbor, wherever you are.

We want to glamorize the lifestyles we wish we had or want to have. I have a dream of moving to a sparsely populated tropical island and teaching my kids to fish, surf, and most importantly the things God would have them be. My romanticized idea of this tropical retreat is not a full picture of the harsh reality that many face of poverty, sickness, and abuse. But that does not mean I neglect the interest I have in such a place that God has put in me, as this may be a new mission field for me one day. But these realities exist in any setting as beyond the mountain and the woods I see depression, suicides, alcoholism, drug abuse, and relational abuse at the same rates if not higher proportionally in some localities. Social issues are not resolved by the physical environment or the culture of the community but by a change of nature. The harvest truly is plenteous but the laborers are few.


I believe that God gave us (humans) stewardship over the earth, but not a divine right to build a single family home on every acre. I aspire to live where God would have me. In my mind, I want to live either on the tropical island (of course) or in the heart of a city, surrounded by a spiritual harvest. I must agree with Mrs. Keller, I also attribute a large portion of the Lord's work in my life through my exposure to different cultures within my community. My public school was filled with military kids and students from many different backgrounds. I recall spending several days between class learning from an Orthodox Jewish friend, in another class another class a Muslim friend, and another class a Mormon friend. These experiences helped me understand their need, see their souls, and affirm my faith in Christ. Without these influences, I am certain I would have a much more difficult time in serving them in municipal government. Let us be lights that shine brighter than the glimmer of a city street or the full array of stars in a country sky.

--UPDATED 03-28-2012 (07:30 AM)--

After reading the articles and the post above, a friend shared their reason for moving to the suburbs in a large metro area was because of the challenge in finding a safe neighborhood in the city. I agree that the perception of safety of a community is a major driving factor in buying a home. But I think the perception of safety in cities has been a bit overblown through the news media and entertainment industry. The reality is that violent crime is the lowest it has been in 40 years and all other crime at the lowest it has been in 30-45 years. But somehow there are more acts of violence committed and investigated on television each week, and most of them are based in a city backdrop. 


I have found, in the 10 years I have worked with neighborhoods, no matter how safe they seem, they routinely have the same sets of issues with different factors impacting them. Almost every community has drugs, every community have youth that make bad or dangerous choices, and almost every community has theft and violence. Often times we don't know about it or some are better at covering it up then others. However, what I think is different about the neighborhoods that sustain their sense of safety when victimized is their inter-connectivity as a community and how they help others recover from that crime. Communities that internalize and retaliate, perpetuate that criminal behavior, and communities that grieve together and uplift one another, tend to retain that sense of safety. There are so many other factors, I wish there was a single solution to give the caring residents to address the issue of safety, but the common factor continues to be how well we know our neighbors. In other words, is this just the place where I live or is this the place we call our home, our neighborhood, our community.


I also believe that the reason for the crime problems in many communities is that those that do care about safety have chosen to move rather than struggle to maintain the those high risk communities. This often leaves a vacuum for turmoil and victimization. A large part of the frequency of "flight" of many caring residents is because of the ease of mobility in the last 60 years and the affordability of moving to the country or suburbs and commuting to work. Years ago, you had no choice but to take ownership of your community and care for those who lived around you because you know you would be seeing everyday them for 10-30 years. Now the average homeowner moves every 3-5 years especially in our military communities.

I also feel that we have systematically failed to meet the mark in focusing the efforts of the church towards the inner cities and reaching hearts in a genuine and practical way. This is a whole other post for another day, but i hope that we can begin to think about cities and what community means a bit more openly and critically. Thank you all for your thoughts, please keep them coming and let's work to create great neighborhoods and strong believers.