Health Care. Technology and Data. Demographics, Diversity, and Inclusiveness. Energy/Environment. Housing. Education. Infrastructure. Budgets. Public safety. Economic development. I couldn’t just choose one thing when talking about developing cities because most of them lack all of these things if not most of them. It can be so hard for developing cities to become relevant when they lack so many of these things. They have nothing to put them on the map and it takes away from them making the more developed cities even stronger. It is kind of unfair to these cities trying to make a name of themselves and for the people of there city as well. It can be so hard that it would either drive out the people who gave it a chance or even leave the less fortunate ones in major disbelief. Whether it being financially or just the fact that they are stuck in their city, it can be hard for a person to have a living space and area that they feel is worth living in.

I feel like there isn’t a part of every city in our country that isn’t somewhat dirty. Theres parts of NYC that I know for a fact aren’t the very clean considering I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Ive also been to Houston and that city isn’t even remotely close to clean. I feel as though it is so hard to keep our big cities clean with the amount of people and interactions of people that we have every single day. The amount of travel done within a day in the city is almost unnatural and not good for the environment having that many people in a tight space for that long in a day. It could lead to many people getting sick in the same area as we’ve seen in the recent month with the corona virus. NYC was hit the worst in this time because of the amounts of people being so close and the uncleanliness in the city as a whole. Overall, I feel that US cities for sure are not clean but I wouldn’t say that they are completely dirty because there is some really nice areas in every city across our country.

These two articles reminded me of how the past is not really too far from the present in our current cities. They talk about how in the past that cities were ran so much differently and all this kind of stuff. But honestly, other than the fact of the different transportation that we have nowadays in cities and the medium amount of mafia activity there seemed to be in cities such as New York, the city comparison from then to now isn’t far off. Of course every city has become more technologically advanced but there are still some cities that have had the same outlook of how theres would work for the rest of man kind. Like lower tier cities don’t really have the option to make all these advancements so they are kind of stuck with what they have for the rest of time. For the most part though, not much has changed within what a city should be ran like over the past decade and I feel as though that is a good thing in my own opinion.

I believe that you can learn the most important lessons about NY by just walking in the streets. Each street in that city is different in a different way. You see different people, people of all races, cultures and what not. Different stores and restaurants that some people have been going to for years and some may just have stepped foot in for the first time. I believe that you can learn so much about this city from the people. Walking around the city as a little kid I learned so much. The most important thing I learned though is to never talk to the wrong person. I remember we were waiting for a cab and this guy just swooped in and took the one that we were waiting for. That did not sit tight with my father and the guy just looked at him, opened up his jacket and showed a knife and said to us “I recommend you let me take this cab”. It was scary at the moment for sure but looking back at it, that moment taught me a lot about the city of NY and the type of people that have lived in it for decades. Don’t get involved with the wrong person.

I personally would take a job away from my family depending on the terms. If I knew in the long run it would for sure benefit them and that I was doing it for a good cause then absolutely I would do it. It would for sure suck being away from my family for an extended period of time but there are ways to make that work. I could easily make enough money at this job and by a home near my current workplace and have my family move there so that I could see them more. I would only do this if I knew I was going to benefit my family though and my family would be 100% okay with it obviously. For the right price I would not be able to turn an offer like that down if my family wanted me to succeed. It could easily work out just how I would want it to. I could see how it could also be hard in many different ways as well but I feel like theres no reason not to if I know the long term benefits that it would have for myself and obviously my family as well.

Personally I believe that I would like to live in an international city like paris or NYC because there is never a dull moment living in an area like this. Cities are always so lively with unlimited restaurants to go to, broadway shows to attend, parks to visit, and sights to see. International cities are also melting pots for people of different races, religions, and beliefs which is an amazing chance to expand outside of my comfort zones. With so many people to meet and communicate with the possibilities of networking and progressing myself through the business world are endless. These cities are the epicenter for jobs so the only way to go in places like this is up. They have jobs in any and every category of work that one could be looking for. So if the first job i get in the city is not fitting me well i can go find another one in a completely different field that I feel would suit me better. If I decide that I feel like travelling one day that is no issue with the cities being so international I can find a flight going to any part of the world within minutes. At a young age right out of college there are very little drawbacks to living in the city as there are so many possibilites to better oneself. The biggest fear of living in a city for me would be the feeling of being overwhelmed since there is so much to it so many people which could make it seem like you could never get a minute to yourself.

Typically there is correlation between poverty and crime rates in an unfortunate way. When poverty or extreme poverty is present crime rates do normally tend to be higher than what the average is. With lower income comes the feeling of being trapped with no way out. Feeling this pressure some people turn to petty theft and such to try and alleviate some of the financial issues that they might be facing. People with families it is especially hard for since they are longer only caring for themselves but others as well so with pressure this great they feel the need to do whatever necessary to help their families survive even if it is commiting crimes. Typically impoverished areas tend to be not great neighborhoods to begin with including gangs and other criminal organizations. With these gangs running the areas of impoverishment it leads to the people living there having increased chances of having run-ins and essentially ending up joining these gangs because they offer protection and a source of income. Adding onto this real legal jobs are harder to come by because businesses struggle staying open in areas like this also accounting for why people have to turn to gangs or committing crimes to make ends meet.Brainwashing of the youths happens in these areas after being desensitized to crime at such a young age they believe that it is okay to do it as well when they see their elders doing it.  With so many pressures of living in areas like this with very limited means to earn legit money and a real job it is no wonder that poverty has a direct correlation with increased crime rates. 

Starting with comparing Demascaus with U.S cities there are many differences between the two because of the rich and seemingly everlasting history of this city that has so often been compared to paradise or an oasis. Measuring in at only seventeen square miles compared to New York city measuring in at over three hundred square miles this is minuscule, it is a very small and tight nit city which other larger US cities may lack. With only a population of around two million this is most comparable to a city with a similar population to Arizona which has a much larger size. For the size that Demascaus is it holds an extremely large population meaning the people are living in much tighter quarters. With this city being based in Syria most would assume it is a war plagued city which is untrue making it similar to american cities. With Chinese cities compared to american cities the culture is very different with how the people interact with each other being much more conservative sticking more to traditional things. Chinese cities are also very industrial oriented based around mass producing products to ship to other countries, with this in mind some of the cities tend to have worse living conditions with extremely high prices and small apartments. Most Notable cities like Beijing and Hong Kong are comparable to the Larger US cities in size and population one thing however that is an issue in these cities is pollution most citizens can be seen walking around wearing masks since pollution is so bad.

While choosing where I would prefer to do fieldwork between Milan or Hobart there are a few different criteria which would have to be taken into consideration. First would be what type of field work that I would be partaking in since they are part of two completely different cultures. If I was doing fieldwork I would have to take into account me being from america and not speaking any other language so doing work in a foreign city would prove more difficult than a domestic one such as Hobart. Another fact that is important is since Hobart is only a town it is nowhere near as large as a city such as Milan. With Milan being greater in size and population there are more opportunities to perform different and potentially better fieldwork. Being a person who has always wanted to explore more and expand my knowledge Milan seems to be the better fit since it has more to offer in experiences that I would not be able to get staying in the United States. Being in Milan would also offer better chances to network and meet people of many varying cultures and beliefs that could help propel me forward in my fieldwork. This would also change my way of thinking and open my mind up to different ideals and my switch my perspective from thinking very americanized. Focusing more on the negative aspect of this I would be extremely far from home and my family where being homesick could become an issue since most of my life has typically been spent within driving distance of my family. 

The biggest city that I have ever been to in my life is the big apple, also known as New York City. I Have been to New York City a countless number of times on a bunch of different occasions. I have been there with my parents, friends, and each time that I go, it is the same. New York is a very interesting place. There is so many different things to do and places to go that you almost don’t have enough time for in a day. I would describe New York as diverse, always alive. “The city that never sleeps”. Every time I go to New York I get something different from it each time. The experience is always different because of the vast amount of things that are offered to you while you are there. Statistically, New York is the biggest city by population in the United States. Which is why if you have ever been there, you notice the absurd amount of people that walk the streets of that great, big city every single day. There is also an odd stench around the entire city which is a mix of hot dogs, the smells of people, and the natural aroma of New York. You can walk around the city and notice so many things around you that you may not notice in any other place in the world. It has a great vibe to it and personally is one of my favorite places to be. I aspire to hopefully one day work in that great city.