Wheel vs. Foot: An Unrecognized American Battle

The advances in technology have brought so many benefits. Among them is greater connection. Whether it is the Internet that has opened doors to so much information, so much culture, so much entertainment, or transportation that has facilitated globalization, allowed for easier access to the lands around where we live, or simply made a trip to the mall more convenient.

The most common form of transport is clearly the automobile. But is the car also harming one of the goals that it is supposed to address: bringing people together? I believe so.

For the past 7 months I have been living in an American city where the car is a must. Atlanta is a wonderful place but life is very challenging if you are not motorized. Stores are spread out, restaurants are not easily accessed by public transport, and residents tend to live in houses that are in sprawling residential neighborhoods where, again, public transport is not frequent. There are wonderful benefits to this existence.

A home really is a home, rather than a small apartment that closes in on you as material objects pile up.  An outdoor lifestyle comes about naturally as parks speckle the cityscape and the countryside is only a highway away. New hobbies are appreciated as the open space births new interests.  For several months, I have not vacationed elsewhere or traveled for business. As a result, I fell into this car-dominated world. Something did not feel right. I was not sure exactly what it was, but somehow I was a bit numbed.

Then I traveled to Barcelona. From the moment that the taxi drove into the city streets I realized what was affecting me in car-country: true connectivity. What does this mean? Simply put, real connections with people, with the earth (even if it is covered in concrete), and with the senses.

For those who live or who have lived in dense urban areas where pedestrian traffic is extensive, the last thing that would be used to express the daily brushes with strangers is feeling vibrant, or even less feeling socially educated.

Rather, the description would be feeling irritated or perhaps isolated. Morning subway rage is common as shoulders bump and grind. The routine trek to work also leaves a sea of heads looking down onto the concrete floor simply going through the paces. If you don’t believe me, stand on the corner of 42nd and Ave. of the Americas in NYC at 8:30AM and observe the pedestrians. The funny thing is that this seemingly cold and impersonal social behavior is feeding a sense of community and belonging. Sure we tend to keep to ourselves on public transportation or on sidewalks.