City Life: Every Modernist's Dream

For my first individual entry of the semester, I will be focusing on the effects of city life on an individual's ability to cope with the rushed, constantly busy, and ongoing sense of everyday living. As the world's population keeps moving into cities,the commodities readily available to residents are making the fast-paced style of life almost viable to raise happy, healthy families. However, with many arguing that over-crowdedness and the never ending hustle-and-bustle is causing many to grow more and more stressed, plagued with anxiety and depression, one may come to wonder how much of a role money and work conditions play in this city-wide disease. What about social issues? Minorities versus majorities? Quality of life? Shopping and dining options? This article will delve into all this and much more to find the ideal city-life the Indiana Jones of the concrete jungle dreams of.

Abbott, Alison. "Stress and the City: Urban Decay." NATURE (2012): N. pag. Web. 1 Feb. 2015. <http://www.nature.com/news/stress-and-the-city-urban-decay-1.11556>.

Scientists investigate evidence that suggests cities and modern life give way to psychosis. This article pulls from multiple sources of research that prove just how stressful and anxiety inducing cities can be. By displaying an experiment that was done on city-dwellers and non-city-dwellers and the anxiety they would have in a given situation, the article shows how even a short-lived stay in the city could have a prolonged effect on one's life.

Beck, Melinda. "City Vs. Country: Who Is Healthier?" The Wall Street Journal. N.p., 12 July 2011. Web. 1 Feb. 2015. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304793504576434442652581806>.

This article pits urban life and rural life against each other, quickly comparing the different amenities available to each. It builds its evidence by pointing out all the plentiful resources available in cities while also observing how rural life is more quiet and slower-paced. This article fits in to my research as its provides differing views of the "best" way to live according to modern Americans.

Crowhurst Lennard, Suzanne H. "Planning for Healthy Living: the Next Challenge." Liveable Cities. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2015. <http://www.livablecities.org/articles/planning-healthy-living-next-challenge>.

Following very close in hand with my original nature article, this article in particular observes all the aspects and populations of a city that make it a bustling metropolis. By looking at how different age groups live, interact, and thrive within a city environment, this article calls to attention many aspects of a city, such as bullying and healthcare, that could be deemed negative and positive. With this article I will be able to argue both sides of the "healthiest place" to live argument as I use it in a more personalised context.

Kennedy, Daniel P., and Ralph Adolphs. "Stress and the City." Nature (2011): N. pag. Web. 1 Feb. 2015.

This study follows with how cities can cause stress, anxiety, and even mental and health diseases within individuals living a fast-paced life. Sourcing scholarly and scientific journals to prove their point, they look into brain scans and show just how negatively city life can adverse one's bodily conditions. They do make sure to point out that though city life does have its negative downfalls, the city should not be crossed off anyone's list as a potential place of residence. This article fits in perfectly due to its health and mental research and the balance one needs for a healthy city life.

Financial Samurai. "How Do People Live a Comfortable Life Making Less than Six Figures in Expensive Cities?"Financial Samurai. N.p., 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 1 Feb. 2015. <http://www.financialsamurai.com/>.

This article dives in head straight as it crunches numbers and figures how people with "below-par" salaries are able to afford the luxurious city life. The evidence is clear and concise - totally understandable - as financial figures and costs of living are laid flat to represent the amount needed to actually live comfortably. This article comes to prove that some may sacrifice many aspects of life to live in cities, but do not budge when it comes to changing their quality of living. This article fits in to my research as I need to showcase how financial struggles can most definitely pose a struggle for families falling below the national average,