Urban = cool

It is a fairly simplistic running commentary I have: Urban = cool, suburban = not cool.

I suppose there are a number of theoretical undepinnings for this rather black and white view of things. Urbanites are typically higher consumers of transit, have a concentration of cultural institutions and seem to be generally more interesting places to be. Suburban waste lands, on the other hand, drive cars, sprawl residential areas as far as the eye can see, and are generally homogeneous and white. Well, not that there is anything wron with that (you will have to excuse my childhood scars of growing up in a caucasian Richmond and getting chased around Ching Chong Chinese and other lovely racial slurs: not cool).

A couple of my favourite urbanite places-to-go:

• Chicago Architectural Foundation
• NY Lower Eastside Museum
• Toronto Urban Affairs Library
• Canadian Centre for Architecture
• Shanghai Urban Planning Museum

Now the last one, I have not been to, but would definitely be game if I ever make it out to the Mother Land again.