Won't Someone Think of the Children? Rethinking the City as the Ideal Place to Raise a Family

Challenging Conventional Wisdom

"Think of the children!" It’s a phrase that has echoed through debates about urban development, often wielded to justify the sprawling growth of suburbs and the prioritization of car-centric living. Conventional wisdom suggests that if you want to raise children "right," you move to the exurbs. Big yards, quiet streets, good schools—it's painted as the idyllic childhood environment. But is this conventional wisdom really...wise? Do exurbs truly offer the best environment for kids to grow and thrive? I've started to question this assumption. When you unpack the supposed benefits of exurbia and contrast them with city life, an entirely different picture emerges. In fact, cities, even mid-sized ones in America, provide a richer, more stimulating, and ultimately more beneficial environment for raising children than their distant exurban counterparts. Let’s explore why by looking at four key areas: nature, museums and education, culture, and transportation. Prepare to have your suburban assumptions challenged.

Nature - Urban Parks vs. Exurban Yards: Quality over Quantity

Let's start with nature, supposedly the city's weak point. The exurban selling point is often the "big yard," the promise of green space right outside your door. But is a chemically treated lawn in a cul-de-sac really "nature"? And is that small, often fenced-in space truly superior to the diverse natural experiences available in even mid-sized cities? Cities preserve vast amounts of open space as parks. Even a smaller urban park, carefully designed and maintained, can offer a richer, more diverse ecosystem than a typical exurban yard. Urban parks often feature diverse plantings, mature trees, water features, and dedicated natural areas designed to attract wildlife. While a large exurban yard might be good for solitary play, urban parks are social spaces, places where children can interact with others, learn to navigate social dynamics, and experience nature in a communal setting. Moreover, cities boast zoos and botanical gardens, institutions specifically designed to expose children to a vast array of plants and animals from around the world, while simultaneously educating them about ecology and conservation. And let’s not forget natural science museums and planetariums—urban institutions dedicated to fostering scientific curiosity and understanding. While the median lot size for new single-family homes sold in 2020 in the US was around 8,730 square feet (approximately 0.2 acres), many cities boast parks far larger than that. It's about quality of experience, not just quantity of square footage. Urban parks, zoos, and museums offer a depth and breadth of nature and science education that a suburban yard simply can't match.

Museums and Education - Urban Centers of Learning and Discovery

When it comes to museums and education, the comparison is almost laughable. Exurbs might have a small local library branch, perhaps a children’s museum if they are lucky. But cities are global centers of learning and cultural enrichment. Think of the sheer concentration of world-class museums in urban areas: art museums, history museums, science museums, natural history museums, children’s museums, cultural museums, and countless specialized museums dedicated to every imaginable topic. Cities are also home to the major central libraries, vast repositories of knowledge and resources far beyond anything available in exurbia. And of course, cities are the epicenters of higher education, home to major universities and vocational schools, creating a vibrant intellectual atmosphere and offering unparalleled educational opportunities for residents of all ages. In major metropolitan areas, residents often have dozens, even hundreds, of museums and cultural institutions within easy reach by public transportation. For instance, in the New York City metro area, there are over 800 museums and cultural organizations. Studies consistently show that educational attainment is higher in urban areas compared to rural and exurban areas. In 2021, approximately 48% of adults aged 25 and over in urban areas held a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to around 35% in rural areas and exurbs. Cities are educational and cultural powerhouses, offering a level of intellectual stimulation and learning opportunities that exurbs simply cannot replicate.

Culture and Diversity - Urban Tapestry vs. Exurban Homogeneity

Culture is another area where cities utterly eclipse exurbs. Exurban culture often revolves around chain restaurants, big-box stores, and perhaps a local high school football game. Cities, on the other hand, are vibrant tapestries of culture and creativity. Think of the sheer array of musical performances, from world-class orchestras and opera companies to cutting-edge indie bands and jazz clubs. Art galleries showcasing everything from classical masterpieces to contemporary installations. Theaters offering everything from Broadway shows to experimental performance art. Cultural festivals celebrating diverse traditions from around the world. And beyond formal institutions, cities are inherently diverse places, where children are exposed to people of different races, ethnicities, religions, income levels, and backgrounds simply by walking down the street. This daily exposure to diversity is invaluable for developing empathy, understanding, and a broader worldview. Exurbs, by contrast, are often remarkably homogenous. According to the Brookings Institution, in 2020, the average racial diversity index score for a large city was 64, compared to just 41 for a suburban area and even lower for exurbs. In 2020, 54% of the population in urban areas was non-white, while in exurban areas, it was significantly lower, around 25%. This lack of diversity in exurbs can limit children's exposure to different perspectives, cultures, and ways of life, potentially hindering their development of crucial social and intercultural skills. Cities are crucibles of culture and diversity, offering children a constant education in the richness and complexity of the human experience.

Transportation and Independence - Urban Mobility vs. Exurban Car Dependence

Finally, let’s talk about transportation. In exurbs, the car is king, and children are passengers. Teenagers in exurbs are often desperate to get their driver's license, seeing it as their only ticket to freedom and mobility. But in cities, public transportation opens up a world of independence and exploration for children and teenagers long before they are old enough to drive. Subways, buses, trams, bike lanes – these systems provide safe, affordable, and accessible ways for young people to navigate their city, explore different neighborhoods, access cultural institutions, meet friends, and develop a sense of self-reliance and urban competence. Imagine a teenager in a city being able to hop on a bus or subway to visit a museum, meet friends in a different part of town, or explore a new park, all without relying on their parents for a ride. This level of independence fosters confidence, problem-solving skills, and a deeper connection to the city. In exurbs, the car-dependent environment often means that teenagers are reliant on their parents for transportation well into their teens, limiting their independence and their ability to explore beyond their immediate neighborhood. Furthermore, this car-centricity contributes to traffic congestion, air pollution, and a less pedestrian-friendly environment overall. Cities, with their robust public transportation systems, offer children and teenagers a level of mobility, independence, and urban literacy that is simply unavailable in car-dependent exurbs.

Rethinking Childhood - The City as a Playground and Classroom

So, won’t someone think of the children? Yes, absolutely. And when we do think of the children, when we critically examine the supposed benefits of exurbia and the often-overlooked advantages of city living, a clear picture emerges. Cities offer superior access to nature, unparalleled educational and cultural resources, a vibrant and diverse social environment, and the independence of public transportation. The conventional wisdom that exurbs are the ideal place to raise children simply doesn't hold up under scrutiny. It’s time to rethink the suburban myth and recognize the city for what it truly is: a playground and a classroom, a vibrant and enriching environment where children can flourish, learn, grow, and develop into engaged, informed, and culturally competent citizens. While “suburb” is a broad term and first-ring suburbs often share many urban advantages, the distant, car-dependent exurbs offer a particularly stark contrast to the rich, opportunity-filled environment of the city, making the urban core a surprisingly compelling, and often overlooked, choice for raising the next generation. Let’s embrace the city as the truly child-friendly environment it can be, and build urban futures that are not just for adults, but for families and children of all ages.