The Individual and Change
There is much beauty and much blight in every large urban area, as e all know. We come together in cities in order to facilitate comerce and business, and even choose to live there in spite of all the ustle,. bustle, and tensions. There is stimulation in the urban enironment. Other people live in cities because they have little or no :hoice. It is in cities that much of our crime is committed and where are power structures of decision making are located. Sidewalks mean both crowds and places to play and socialize. Cities are places where we find extremes; in emergencies we are taken to hospitals, but almost anywhere we can be robbed. Here we find the finest in food and entertainment, and the extremes of poverty and wealth. Studies show 'hat many of the positive aspects of urban living are largely individual, under the control of the individual. We can choose those things :bat bring us pleasure-the arts, sports, and various leisure-time activities. Of course, while the environment provides these opportunities, the choice of responding or not responding is largely ours. What of the behaviors of other people that bear directly on out well-being over which we have little or no direct control? Is it possible that physical aspects of where we live relate to our own behavior per se, as 'ell as the behavior of others which affect us?
