The 508(c)(1)(a) Initiative Workshop

systems, decreasing reliance on the automobile. Our current culture is very much
entwined with the automobile. Reduction of our reliance on automobiles is beneficial in
reducing pollutants. Additionally, inner cities have often been characterized as food
deserts, where nutritious, low-cost food is difficult to find because large supermarkets
refuse to build there. Hopefully with the influx of jobs and money to the cities,
supermarkets will follow. Bringing new life to cities will definitely improve the options
available to all residents there.
Cities are where culture, technology and the arts can flourish. The exchange of ideas
and open-mindedness to these ideas occurs because of the cosmopolitan nature of
cities. By renewing interest in our cities, we can create dynamic centers of innovation
and technology that are not found in our suburbs. Suburban living has long been cliched
to have sapped the creativity and vitality from our society. There is a grain of truth to
this. Suburbanites often do not meet their neighbors and spend a great deal of time
driving to their destinations. Urban areas, by design, force people to interact with their
surroundings. It is this interaction that allows the acceptance of new ideas that build up
culture.
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