The Issue with Romanticizing Cities

The Issue WITh RomanTIcIzIng The cITy

[BACK COVER]

KRITHIKA VENKATASUBRAMANIAN

writer People took it upon themselves to explore these mysteries, and we began to roman-

You’re standing by the window of your 30th- ticize cities. floor apartment with a steaming cup of coffee But it’s only when you try living in a city that in hand. You watch the sun setting behind the you realize that those daydreams you’d been magnificent New York City skyline, stretching out chasing were far from reality.in all directions. Cars crawl lazily in the roads be- I experienced this myself, having lived neath you, their occupants heading home after for three years in Bangalore, India (a pretty big a long day at work. You turn around to your styl- city). I’d always imagined cities as places of adishly decorated apartment, placing your coffee venture, and sure, there was lots to do in Banmug on your spotless glass teapoy, as you water galore. However, that was eclipsed by the fact the bonsai tree on your windowsill. that traffic was so bad that driving 2 miles to and

Most of us have had these dreams at one time from work sometimes took my father 4 hours (not or another. We’ve imagined living in a city like exaggerating). Very rarely are houses smack in New York or Paris or Seoul. We’ve daydreamed the middle of the city. Those that are never feel of love-at-first-sight stories under the Eiffel Tower like a quiet spot; you’re likely to be woken up at or fantasized about grabbing a frappuccino at 3AM because someone decided to blare their Starbucks on our way to our Manhattan offices. car horn.

This isn’t entirely new—cities have drawn Also, car lanes? Cars? Driving? In? Desigpeople for centuries. Urbanization began with nated? Lanes? Never heard of it! the industrial revolution: urban areas quick- The main factor in the romanticization of ly formed as factories cities is the mewere built and those who worked there decided people Took IT upon dia. Many movies and TV shows to live closer by to cut down on travel time. The US transformed from a Themselves To exploRe are set in cities. Films set in the US are usually set largely rural country to a metropolitan landscape. These mysTeRIes, and in New York City, San Francisco, or Today, 82.4% of the US population lives in urban We began To RomanTILos Angeles, and these cities are areas. Somewhere along the way, though, the narcIze cITIes. idealized as places where you can go, chase your rative shifted. Moving to dreams without a city wasn’t just about pursuing jobs anymore; a care in the world, and live your best life. TV cities developed an air of mystery shows like FRIENDS portray adults in their 20s a n d wanderlust around them. cheerfully navigating

Apart from this, the media often fails to consider that everyone has different financial situations. Most people living in New York City won’t have apartments that are nearly as well-furnished or convenient as the one Ross, Rachel, Monica, Joey, Chandler, and Phoebe lived in. Most can’t afford to wear designer clothing or dine at upscale restaurants daily.

As one internet user aptly described it, “IMO,there’s New York City and there’s NEW! YORK! CITY! Most tourists visit N!Y!C!, I live in NYC. Actually living in N!Y!C! would be like trying to permanently live inside a birthday party.”

The same problem exists in popular media worldwide. Many romance films, for example, are set in Paris, France, and show the main characters exploring picturesque parts of the city, like the Eiffel Tower or le Louvre. However, this is a very one-dimensional portrayal of the city. Paris is not just the home of the Mona Lisa and the city of love; we often forget that real people with real problems live there, and that the city has its infrastructural issues: poor public transit, littering, and rodents, to name a few. If you look deeper, these issues are ubiquitous in cities around the world.

Korean drama films, or Kdramas, are another example. Many who watch them believe that their depiction of Korean culture and lifestyle is 100% accurate, and aspire to live in Seoul and imitate that lifestyle without realizing that what they’re seeing is, like in all media, a heavily manicured depiction. This isn’t a critique of the films themselves; after all, they are meant for entertainment and do not claim to depict reality. But when people take them at face value, it leads to a starry-eyed view of a place that will instantly be shattered should one try to live there.

Still, cities can be lovely places to live. They have their positives: proximity to many amenities, many new places to explore, etc. Honestly, despite sometimes spending significant portions of time moving at 2 miles per hour on a highway, I loved Bangalore as a city. There’s nothing wrong with liking cities or planning to live in one day— just make sure you’re not falling into the trap of romanticizing them without realizing that they have their negatives just like any other place