Brooks recent Op-Ed article highlights not just the interesting relationship Americans have to their land, but also our need for a frontier, space, and what we think is comfortable. The Pew Research data shows that Americans are not content where they are now, and look forward to going elsewhere. Also, we are a country who loves the idea of suburbs--being in close proximity to the city but having space as well. However, the most interesting statistic given is the one that notes that 45% of Americans younger then 34 want to live in New York City, but only 14% of Americans over 35 wish for the same. What does that mean? Brooks seems to allude to the fact that as Americans get older they look for more comfort, more sun, more space.

Yet, I think it may also be true that younger Americans are desiring more urban populations because they really do gravitate towards more concentrated spaces of human interactions. Cities are places where its most likely to re-create, or keep the "college" environment. That is, a place where you can be in close proximity with a web of relationships, where you can taste and try many new and different experiences (such as food, clothing, politics, etc), and where you can be constantly studying the human condition. The city can be just as comforting as the non-city, so why is it that younger Americans want to live in them?