Chicago Au Naturale

In my experiences walking in Chicago so far, I have found that I am drawn to the small bits of nature I encounter within this urban setting. A pigeon on the sidewalk. Flowers on the side of the road. A zoo. For that reason, I have decided that for my final I will be mapping Lincoln Park based on the nature that I encounter on my explorations. Whenever I find a noteworthy amount of greenspace or animals I will document the experience and its location, and thus I will be able to present an argument that a city is more than just a habitat for humans. Good cities have green, and I will show that Chicago is a good city, with more to offer than just asphalt and concrete. A walk in the park or a stroll in the quad is a perfect way to enjoy a beautiful day in the city, and my map will show the viewer the best places to escape from the gray and the glass of Chicago.

As Malchik states, walking evolved in humans before human thought did. Walking is quite literally the most basic aspect of being a person. Thus, walking is a right. It is a right endowed on us as soon as we toddle our first steps as children and it lasts until the right is taken from us at death. Between those points in our lives, walking is everything. We walk to move, to think, to exercise and simply to see the world around us. However, our right to walk is threatened in today’s age in America. Ever since the rise of the automobile, the car has reigned king over American transportation and has quickly stamped out the age of the footstep. I am from a town where people are too spread out to walk anywhere. I would have to walk two miles to get to the nearest restaurant, on a path of busy highways with no sidewalks. To walk, I must risk being hit by a car, which happens all too frequently to pedestrians. Where I grew up in Indiana, walking was really not feasible as a means of transportation. Freedom came with my first car. Here though, I walk every single day because I’m simply closer to the things I need.