didn't these people came together in this city because they need what the city can give them and what other people can g are social creatures we need the closeness of others we get a special kind of excitement from the experience of cities there is activity and change in the cities that people of different races and cultures live together and get to know each other our need for cities goes a good deal deeper than just like into have lots of others around when millions of people get together in cities they can produce more and have more of everything most factories are in or near cities where there's a pool of manpower and easy communication large scale production requires a vast number of consumers cities provide a concentrated market that makes economic system we can have art galleries concerts ballet museums zoos only where there are enough people to support them where there is a ration of people we can have large institutions specialists costly qui have you ever really studied a classified telephone book in a large city what do you want would you like a map mounted a bearing re babbitt did a singing commercial to destroy some business records name it only in the city are there are enough people who need outre sonic equipment or reducing equipment so that business can thrive since the city provides all these goods and services it means that there are jobs in great and inviting variety what has happened to our cities but they grown from the small crossroads towns of one hundred fifty years ago there was a long period when towns grew slowly perhaps now near the river a factory was built the town grew a ring of residence and circled the central business and industry things got too crowded and industry leapfrog to the outskirts people built their homes still father out small business followed along some of the main street a few well to do people began to feel proud and build homes in the suburbs and in the country  during the thirty's there was little change but after world war two the cities didn't just grow they exploded because the change has been so great and so rapid it has created enormous problems that affect the way we live the most immediate problem was where to put all these new families good building land close to the central city was scarce the city had to go up or out it was easier and cheaper to go out over the farms and fields the quiet little suburbs began to fill up and soon they were swallowed in the sprawling growth we still call this a city no we shouldn't it's a metropolis a city surrounded by a cluster of smaller towns and suburbs that all run together two thirds of the people in our country now live in a metropolitan area mostly the growth is out here in the suburbs there are many good things about living in this new world it has given millions of families pleasant well planned homes a place to have a garden with light and air and space but because so many families needed home so fast our metropolitan areas have spread without plan the problem of planning is enormous there may be a city government here and here and here there is a county government here school district here water district here each has different needs which it guards jealously no metropolitan area has been able to work out plans to solve more than a fraction of its problems one great question is the best way to use the land itself should it be build up mile after monotonous mile or should open spaces be left to separate the communities often growth has been so fast that no one thinks of providing for parks or recreation areas often the builders of cracked don't plan for schools the community scrambles along after the people move in putting up school buildings where they can find the land the builders may put up shopping areas which are convenient for marketing by car but are often an eyesore many communities are slow to make laws requiring trees and landscaping sometimes builders put up cheap poorly constructed homes that will be suburban slums not so many years from now land in metropolitan areas is precious we certainly can make better use of it than we do the growth of the suburbs has brought another major problem getting there and back without cause the birbiglia wouldn't be possible but once we live in suburbia vienna where there are trains and buses serving the suburbs most people have to depend on time here there are more of each year there must be more highways and expressways to take care of this new suburban way of living has brought personal problems too unless the woman of the family works or has a second car she is often stuck in the neighborhood suburban neighborhoods are fine for growing chil but adults often find they miss the stimulation of the central city there's plenty of stimulation for everyone here but many people living and working close together bring other problems what kind of world we making in the central city never watch the morning frantic when people are in los angeles which has one of the worst traffic situations nearly two thirds of the downtown area is taken up by the automobile parking lots garages streets and freeways the automobile that no one would think of giving up is doing this to our central city it's taking up more and more of the working and living space many city planners believe that really good public transportation is the only way to keep our cities from being choked to death by the automobile but good public transportation can pay for itself only where population is concentrate it is spread out a bus may run only once an hour no one wants to wait on the curb  and most people don't the result is that many downtown areas are dying because they are so difficult and unpleasant to get into marry another major problem of the central city is that my any old areas around the corner are decaying here on the streets with the rundown flats the vacant rooms the rows of dreary here live those who can't afford something better here are the minority groups who are excluded from something better much of it is shelter built in an era when we had very different ideas about what was fit for humans to liv those who care about our cities want to replace the ugly shabby dirty living areas but how and with what the problem of urban renewal is as vast as the old sections of our city some old sections are slowly being replaced by public buildings some by commercial building some near downtown areas are giving way to office buildings some are being replaced by high rise housing but every dwelling torn down for herb and renewal creates a human problem it's never pleasant having to lose a home even an old one and it's not pleasant trying to find a new one when there isn't much money in the paycheck to take care of the low income population some cities are building high rise housing where the slums used to be these two create their own problems the architects and planners point proudly to the order the neat walks the grass the cleanliness the space and light and air but critics argue that the need walks are seldom occupied that the empty space creates a tearless unfriendly however not all new housing is low rent by any means there are more and more large apartments going up for those who can afford to make choices and many do choose to live in the central city for all the good things it has to  try to disregard the problems each metropolitan area ten bring order to the sprawl but not where dozens of small districts are working each in its own interest we must learn to work together to plan our huge communities we can rehabilitate the decaying core of our cities we can keep our cities from choking themselves to death it can be done if enough of us have the will to do it this is where two thirds of us have chosen to live do we have the will to remake the city into a place that will enrich our li