Why our generation loves urban revival

It seems to be a general trend amongst Generation Y to dream of flocking to cities and saying 'goodbye' to the paradise of suburbia our parents migrated in hoards to when they were just about our age.

Tentatively spanning births from the 1980s to the early 2000s, we've been accused of being the 'entitlement generation' for our ways. Sure, I like to have what I want and have it right away, and modern innovations have certainly helped make this a possibility. But what is it about cities that draws us millennials in, and what about the suburbs utterly repels us?

Let us look at my personal case. For most of my childhood, I was raised in a small town, and small towns are hard to get right. As adolescents, my peers and I festered for years in our so-called 'school system' like a bacteria. We woke up every day to the comfort of routine, largely unchanged and wildly unchallenged. The streets were safe, but our parents hovered over us, fueled by media-instilled fear.

When we were young and in need of guidance, a majority of the adults in our lives didn't encourage our drive, our ambition. They came from a different time, tried to feed us their outdated beliefs. But you can't get by on an associate's degree from a community college anymore. You can't get anywhere if you network in only one small community forever. If anything, our generation realizes the importance of higher education and widespread networking in the quest for entering the work force.

So what can we gather from this example?

1. Millennials growing up in the suburbs may have been sheltered and had that extra layer of overprotective parents to top it all off. We want to live life on the edge a little. Do something wild and adventurous. Go on that study abroad trip to the rainforest. Skydive. Pursue your dreams.
2. We want to find an environment that nurtures our creativity and passions. We came of age in a world where our parents taught us that we're important, our dreams are important, and we shouldn't be afraid to show it. Our ability to thrive in an environment due to its plentiful resources and accommodations is certainly a factor in where we want to live. And it seems that cities across the country are opening up their resources and accommodations to us much more so than suburbia.
3. We're tired of our social lives being determined by the handful of people we see every day. We grew up with the Internet and realized that the whole world is a living, breathing community. How could we be content to stay so comparatively isolated when we could be out there networking?
4. And yeah, I do like convenience. I like not needing a car. I like being able to walk down the street to get whatever I need or hang out with my friends. Everything in the suburbs takes time and a car. And seeing as it was Gen X's time-saving innovations that I grew up around, does that really make me entitled?

Of course, these were all based on my experiences only. There are a number of other reasons for and against my argument, of course. I recently read a series of articles in Philadelphia that makes cases for why our generation is so keen on urban revival which outlines several interesting points.

Urban revival means our generation will not only like the idea of living in a city but also migrate there by the masses. It means we would have resources and opportunities in an environment that is clean, safe, and nurturing. Perhaps, it'll mean lower costs of living, which'll definitely get our attention, or someday mean our kids can go to a decent public school in the city. Then, we'll live out the rest of our days there, too.

What are your opinions on the millennial generation's flock to the cities?

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