Walking through life
Prior to moving to Chicago, I had lived in the same mundane suburb of Michigan for almost my entire adolescence. This led me to believe I had already seen everything of importance, and I got into a routine of only using walking for external benefits, such as physical exercise. But, once I set foot in this new and enticing city, my outlooks began to change. Coming into this course, I had a few pre-existing ideas about the city and life in a large urban environment. I had not yet discovered my own reality of life in Chicago, and unbeknownst to me, I had believed the statements my friends and family made about the city to be true, despite whether they had adequate proof or not. There is an unlimited amount of knowledge to acquire about Chicago, and walking through its streets and communities can be one of the easiest, and most hands on way to discover everything the city has to offer.
When I began my journey with this course, and living in Chicago, I had not known how to utilize walking as a tool of exploration and discovery. Having the skills to do this, is imperative to truly taking in all that a city has to offer. At the start of the quarter I was taunted by the idea of having to really observe my surroundings and take mental notes about the city on my walks. It was something I had never done before, a completely new concept was introduced to me, on top of the fact that my city was also brand new. While the unknown can be intimidating, persevering through those emotions of fear and worry and continuing on your expeditions can be one of the most rewarding things. Now, as I think back to the person I was at the beginning of the term, I can almost see all of the progress I have made within this aspect of exploring the unknown. Once I became more familiar and comfortable with the idea of walking in Chicago, the question of why does one walk began to arise.
Why does one walk? For physical health benefits? Or perhaps the mental clarity? This is a seemingly simple question, but it has a plethora of answers. The reason for walking can be something different for every person you ask. Some might believe walking is purely a form of transportation, how you get from one place to the next. While others may take a more meaningful and philosophical approach to define why they walk. This could mean seeing walking as a method of education, and getting to know your surroundings. Or using walking as a tool to truly immerse oneself within their city. Whatever it be, there is a consensus that walking is a unique and individual experience. One of the environments best fit for being explored by walking is the city. As said by Solnit in The Solitary Stroller and the City, “ Cities have always offered anonymity, variety, and conjunction, qualities best basked in by walking.”,(Solnit, 182). This statement from Solnit helps to solidify the idea that walking takes on a much bigger role in the city, and it can be one of the most helpful resources for living in an urban area, such as Chicago. Every city provides many different adventures and journeys, so taking on this mindset from Solnit and other alike thinkers can help to truly immerse oneself in the city and everything it has to offer.
After defining what walking means to us, and why we as individuals walk, another question can be asked. How do we walk? This appears to be a very easy question that probably has one straight answer. We learn to walk as young kids right? But, there is a deeper meaning behind this simple inquiry. How one walks can be determined by an unlimited number of factors, and it can also influence how we experience the city through walking. How I walk, for example, is guided by my experiences as a woman. I do not walk alone at night, nor do I venture into stereotypically unsafe areas. My brain is constantly riddled with the horrifying stories we hear on the news about women walking alone and being endangered. Because of these dangers in society, I have always been taught not to interact with strangers while walking, and to be as aware of my surroundings as possible. We as women, are forced to adapt our walking habits just to stay alive, rather than having our communities implement any real societal changes to how others behave towards a woman who is alone. One particular quote from Solnit embodies this very outlook on walking and existing as a woman, “Women have routinely been punished and intimidated for attempting that most simple of freedoms, taking a walk.”(Solnit, 299). Walking should be something that every member of society has equal opportunity and access to, but because of the barriers placed on many different groups of people, it has become much more complicated than that. Being a woman is not the only barrier to walking, those who are living in disabled bodies do not have the same privileges to using walking as a means of immersing oneself in the city as able bodied people do. Other examples of aspects that affect one's ability to walk freely are race, sexual identity, and social or economic class. How do you walk is a question that I have pondered over for the entirety of this course. I cannot choose one direct answer, because the way I walk is constantly evolving as I discover more and more about the city.
Coming into Chicago, I held certain beliefs about the city itself, mostly regarding its safety and walkability for me as an individual. Being an outsider to the community here, there were many unknowns about the culture and how I would have to function within this new place. Since then, I have been able to break down any of the stereotypes or misinformed ideologies I had before coming here and experiencing the city firsthand. For example, I now see areas that I once thought to be too dangerous or not welcoming to me as new places to explore and learn about. I have also absorbed mountains of knowledge about the history of the city, such as its public art. Public art is one of the parts of a city that can make it feel more welcoming, and interesting for the viewer. In Chicago for example, public art is used to bring communities together. The city of Chicago is home to hundreds of murals, and each mural has its own purpose from the artist. Some are to remind people of a community’s heritage and culture, while others are to showcase the talents of local artists. The Chicago Sun Times Murals and Mosaics page tells the stories of many different public art pieces all over the city. Seeing so many examples of murals and other public art throughout my journey exploring Chicago has helped me get to know more about the rich history of where I am, and feel welcomed within the space.
As my time in this course concludes, my journey with walking through Chicago does not. Every step I take in the city brings me something new to experience, and furthers my connection to my new home. As said by Malchik in A Walking Life, “One of the single greatest factors in building that social capital,…, is a community’s walkability.”(Malchick, 45). This idea of social capital, or relationships between people within a community, is something I believe to be imperative to life. Now that I have the tool of walking to help me build social capital here, I can use it to keep exploring Chicago and the act of walking itself. I have learned so much through walking in Chicago, and this learning will continue throughout my life here.
Sources Cited
Solnit, Rebecca. Wanderlust: A History of Walking. Granta, 2022.
Malchik, Antonia. A Walking Life: Reclaiming Our Health and Our Freedom One Step at a Time. Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2019.
“Chicago’s Murals and Mosaics.” Chicago Sun-Times, chicago.suntimes.com/murals-mosaics. Accessed 25 Oct. 2022.
