Smoke and crowds or bird song? (Quality of life in the British Cities)

Member Name: kittykat18

Product:	Quality of life in the British Cities
Date:	22/11/01 (121 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cities have lots to do, country is more picturesque

Disadvantages: cities are more dangerous, the counryside can be boring

I have lived in Birmingham most of my life, and Cardiff since I came here to go to Cardiff University in September of this year. So I know about city life. I also worked on a summer camp this year in the remote Brecon Beacons for 5 long months, so I can see the advantages and disadvantages of cities and rural areas to live in.

Now I have asthma, and the pollution in Birmingham doesn't exactly help. I live on a main road, and just waiting for the bus I am forced to breathe in exhaust fumes that make me wheeze. Wheras when I was on the summer camp there was lovely fresh, clean air (apart from the smell of burning foot and mouth infected cattle, but that's another story).

I suppose the main attractions of living in a city are the facilities. The thing is, cities stretch far and wide. Where I live is about 6 miles out of the city centre and the facilites in the area are no better than a small town. Living right in the middle of city centres is becoming more popular now, and I can see the advantages of this. There are only about 2 council blocks in the centre of Birmingham and I have been told that there is a huge waiting list to go into them. Most of the housing in city centres is modern renovations for the middle class. How good would it be to walk home from a club, not having to worry about the taxi fare? And what about getting up 10 minutes before you have to go to work? Now that's what I call city living. However, this totally depends on the city you are in. Here in Cardiff, the student area (Cathays) is less than a mile from the city centre, so you can benefit from the point I've already made. Since I have been here I have never used public transport.

Public transport has to be one of the worst things about our cities, although this does again depend on the city in question. Most cities have a good network set up, although the standard and prices are questionable. When I was on the summer camp, there was one bus a day, wh
ich was the same van that collected the post from the villages in the area. So if you wanted to go to town at any other time, you could walk the 6 miles or get a taxi. So at least in the city you have the choice.

Safety is another factor in the difference between city living and countryside living. As cities have a higher concentration of people, inevitably the crime rate is higher. In many cities, seeing crime on the streets is a daily occurence. In Birmingham, I have seen people being beaten up and once I saw a man who had been stabbed. Our house was burgled twice while I was growing up which was a horrible experience. It was not the material objects which mattered but I hated the thought of these people having been in our house, looking at our things. It took a long time for me to feel comfortable in the living room again. Of course there is still crime in the countryside, it is just that there is a better community spirit in my opinion. I have lived with my boyfriend in our flat for a year and a half now and we barely know any of our neighbours. In the countryside (in general) neighbours become good friends (to rip off a famous theme tune!)

My ideal place to live would be a village that is small, beautiful and within reach of a city. Today, people who live in rural areas can use the internet to do their shopping, but come on, every girl (and boy!) needs to do a good shop every once in a while!

Good things about living in a city include bands coming to do concerts, exhibitions (especially at the NEC) and theatres. For minority groups such as people from other countries and homosexuals, cities provide support groups and many cities have gay areas. So it may be easier for people like this to live in a city. It is quite rare for minority groups to live in rural locations. In Birmingham and most other cities, areas that are predominantly Asian/black/Irish/Jewish emerge, because groups like to stick together.

It can be stressful
living in a city, sometimes the crowds of people and the pollution just get too much and you need to escape. In Cardiff though, escaping from the hustle and bustle is easy-in 45 minutes you can get to the seaside or to the Brecon Beacons, with a car or without, using the train or bus. I think it would be very difficult to live in the countryside without a car as it would be very restrictive.

There is a case for living in either a city or countryside. Many people like to live in suburbs with lots of trees and parks, so to some extent they get the best of both worlds. I can't decide which is best. I get stressed in the city and bored in the country, so maybe I'll never be happy. Sometimes on the summer camp though, it was great to be in the open air with loads of other young people. Living in the countryside permanently, I imagine, would be somewhat different.

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