One of the things I was most proud of when I was a resident of the big city of Philadelphia was that I lived there for 20 years without owning a car. Who needed a car, when I had my feet, my bike, the bus, the subway, the trolleys and a car share service? I felt proud that I was making an impact on the environment. I felt proud that through my personal actions, I was making a contribution, however small, to the greater good. When you live in a city, there are constant reminders that you’re part of something bigger than yourself: You’re a part of a vibrant and diverse community that can be as small as your block or as big as the city itself. When you realize that–and it’s hard not to–you can’t help but want to work to make your community a better place.

As many other city dwellers have noted, cities can provide as much of a “village” feel as many small towns, with their walkable shops and restaurants, farmers markets, cafes … plus, they have the diversity that most villages lack. Sure, cities have their problems, but to imply that the values of cities are somehow “less than” those of small towns is divisive and simply untrue. Where would our country be without its cities?

Now I live in Oakland, another wonderful city that is generally overlooked due to its proximity to lovely San Francisco. I think living in Philadelphia all those years gave me a deeper appreciation for “underdog cities” like Oakland. Philadelphia also had its more glamorous neighbor city, New York. Living in Oakland, I enjoy the city life and the sunshine. I enjoy the year-round farmer’s markets all throughout Oakland. I enjoy walking to the video store, cafe and movie theater, as well as the 10-minute drive to the beach or a redwood grove in the city’s hills. Although I now need a car to easily access the wonders of the Bay Area beyond my walkable Oakland neighborhood, I still take pride in doing my small part to do my part for the greater good. And my heart is warmed by all of the wonderful people of Oakland who do their part as well, whether it’s through recycling, composting, volunteering, driving less or simply smiling and saying hello when they walk down the street. That’s my favorite big-city value.

Blair D
Oakland, CA

I grew up in rural Pennsylvania since I was about 7 years old until I finished college. For about ten years my family even lived in a rented farmhouse on a working farm. Today my parents (Mom born in the Bronx and Dad a 4th or 5th generation Philadelphia Irish Catholic) live in a rural place so secluded that there is literally no human made light in the night sky. They’re happy there. Today I live in Philadelphia, USA, population 1.4 million, and I am very happy.

Living in a city like this has given me more a sense of community and belonging than anywhere where I lived as a kid. And before some of you may jump to any conclusions, I was not ostracized as a child by the rural community in which I grew up. Straight, white guys are not really picked on in small towns, or at least they weren’t when I was young. They get slightly more abused in the city, but it’s all in good fun. The truth is there was not much in the way of community where I grew up.

Philadelphia is 45% white and 43% black. For every person of one race who is not at ease with someone from the other race I can guarantee you there are at least five people every day in this city who experience the artificial social barriers of “race” or “sexual persuasion” falling down. We’re all in it together here. We use the same sidewalks every day. We take the same trolleys, buses and trains. We see the same tired looks on each other’s faces as we slog to work in the morning under the unflattering subway car lights. And most of us regardless of race, sex and creed (not me) act like fools every fall for a team called the Eagles. It’s not Utopia. We have crime and poverty, but they had that where I grew up too. What they did not have where I grew up was an Art Museum, a world re-renowned symphony orchestra, an endless stream of local rock and hip hop musicians, more non-chain restaurants than chain ones, more diversity of opinions and beliefs, more excitement, more daily interaction with humanity, more tolerance, more new ideas, more history, more tragedy and more comedy. More of a chance to get involved. More of a chance to really imagine walking in someone else’s shoes. More of a chance to be anonymous. More of a chance to share a joke with a stranger or to complain about the smell.

And yes, living in a Big City means less of some things. Most important to me it means less need of a car. I have the carbon footprint of a seagull and I don’t have to make any effort at doing so. And before anyone calls me an elitist, I think anyone who watches our infamous sports fans here or is familiar with Rocky knows that we Philadelphians are far from being “East Coast Liberal Elitists.” Elitists don’t have so many food stains. And don’t let Rudy Giuliani fool you into thinking he is not as Cosmopolitan as Barack Obama. If he’s anything like the New Yorkers I know he can’t stand the idea of living in a small town.

My girlfriend and I plan on settling down here in Philadelphia and maybe even raising a family. My dad who was born and raised here still sees this place as the same littered place he grew up in, but I see it as a place to grow as a person. My old friends who I grew up with would think that every day I am putting myself in mortal danger living here because they mistake the sensationalized local TV news coverage for reality. They think it’s fires, murders, rapes, fires, children killed in cross fires, weather, sports and the occasional fluff story like a restaurant that also serves dogs. But just like every small town in America is not like Northern Exposure, Green Acres or Wasilla Alaska, cities are not what popular culture and the media paint them as.

But this is all missing the big point about big cities and small towns in America. The truth is neither of us is a threat to each other’s way of life no matter what any political group says. We shouldn’t see each other as enemies. It’s called Divide and Conquer. Look it up. Most politicians pay us the same amount of lip service while most government policies neglect cities and rural communities equally.

If anything our common enemy is the Suburbs. Everyday more and more of our small towns and big cities from sea to sea have the same Starbucks, Olive Gardens, Bed Bath & Beyonds, the same 8 Hollywood blockbusters playing, the same houses and the same cars. The Inauthenticity of the American Suburban Way of Life threatens to turn us into consumers of the same shallow popular culture. The truth is Big Cities and small towns are two sides of the same coin. We are both what makes America unique. We are both the source of American romanticism and neither of us should seek to denigrate each other’s way of life.

Brendan M
Philadeldelphia, PA

Today I rode my bike to work. This past weekend I rode my bike to the grocery store to buy some food for the house. I love riding my bike in the city.

I love the big city value of supporting car-free modes of transportation. People walk, bike, take public transportation and use services like Philly Car Share. We have bike clubs, running clubs, and official and unofficial rides and races of all kinds. Not only is it healthier to walk or ride a bike, but it saves money and the environment.

Tracy
BCV Headquarters

Toward the end of in the last millennium, I spent several years living in a cozy apartment that was within walking distance of work, shopping and socializing. The space was a cheerful sunlit studio right in the heart of pre-real-estate-boom Center city. $465 per month. Separate kitchen. Basement laundry. Sweet. I walked to work in fifteen minutes, to the grocery store in ten, to bars and restaurants and other attractions in about five minutes. My best friends lived within a few blocks of me. I could practically roll out of bed and fall straight into the lap of my favorite waiter at my favorite Tapas restaurant.

Never mind how that sounds.

The bottom line is that, it was a happy, functional life. I socialized constantly. I had no rush hour to deal with, no parking fees or car insurance, no long treks to or from social engagements or daily errands. I would literally, sit by my window and wave, through my geranium plants, to friends as they walked past. I felt really connected to the people in my life.

Contrary to what some people believe, this sort of village life is hard to find outside of big cities. Most small towns in America today have been completely gutted by suburbia. The compact, bustling towns my great-grandparents’ knew have been encircled and strangled by shopping centers, cul-de-sacs and sprawling business parks. It’s difficult to find a functioning downtown today where people can work, shop and play. Even the most bustling towns rarely have the array of produce stands, clothing stores and corner pharmacies that my city neighborhood had. Few small town dwellers know the pleasure of commuting to work on foot or by bike. Even fewer can live comfortably car-free. And most importantly, the casual, frequent, unplanned social interactions of small town life have grown rare outside of urban villages.

I think “Small Town America” is a myth used by conservative politicians to scorn political philosophies inclusive of complexity. Big cities are messy and bureaucratic; small towns are places of “simpler” values and honest, self-reliant people who help their neighbors. Small towns are predictable, secure and safe. They’re the “authentic” America that the urban world fails to understand or respect. In fact, small towns can be far more chaotic and damaged than their larger counterparts. If you don’t believe me, take a drive across Pennsylvania sometime. Or through Ohio. Or nearly anywhere in the American south. You’ll see 21st century “Small Town America” in all its shabby glory: empty factories; downtowns bereft of a centralized business district; neighborhoods where people have paved their lawns to create extra parking; Towns where the only jobs are at the Wal-Mart Supercenter 20 miles away.

Some politicians have happily and cynically exploited this insecurity by reinforcing the myth of some alien elite targeting small town values for destruction. Gay, terrorist, liberal, big-government boogiemen are out to destroy American values one small town at a time. But actually, it’s big box stores that are doing it. It’s outsourcing. It’s highway construction. Pay no attention to the corporate tool behind the green curtain; he’s from a small town, just like you. Listen to how he talks.

At worst, “Urban” is a racial code used to conjure up images no respectable politician has openly articulated since the 1950′s; at best, it’s suggestive of crime, mistrust and a sort of intellectual decadence that, to some people, seems somehow un-American. But, in fact, the most honest, down-to-earth village I ever lived in was in the center of America’s fifth largest city. This was a place where I tipped my lesbian letter-carrier at Kwanzaa, where I dog-sat for a retired stripper next door, where I listened to the bickering of the male couple downstairs, and nodded to the tattooed moms walking their children to school. I could borrow a cup of flax seed oil from my vegan neighbors. I house-cleaned for a massage therapist who paid me in back rubs. And in less yuppified neighborhoods across the city, people showed up for block clean-ups. They grew community gardens. They watched each other’s houses. They started local businesses and community-based organizations so people had choices about where to shop or where to send their children to school. They helped each other out. Small Town Values hard at work.

The other day, I listened to Bristol Palin’s mom try to belittle Obama for being a “community organizer”. I wonder: aren’t “organized communities” synonymous with “Small Town Values”? Aren’t collective efforts forged by social relationships the cornerstone of what small town values are supposed to be about? I would think that any politician trying to pass herself off as some homespun traditionalist would applaud community organizing instead of mocking it. Maybe small town values only apply outside of Alaska.

Today, I live in a smaller, more spread-out city with a far less pedestrian-friendly plan and I also drive a car. I miss my neighborhood in Philly that is now priced far out of my range due an influx of urbanites fleeing small town suburbs for big city villages. They’re part of a trend of young-ish people and retirees who are moving back to cities in search of community. Or just shorter commutes. Or closer proximity to bars. But in any case, these urban villages are the wave of the future. They’re places that still have the infrastructure to support the kinds of connectedness and interaction that inspire the enduring myth of the Small Town. That’s where my America is. Those are my Big City Values.

Ross G.
Pittsburgh, PA