I confess, I’m no urbanist at heart. I was raised in the countryside, where there were forests and lakes and homes with little gardens.
But over the past few years, I’ve been reluctantly convinced that cities are the way of the future. And so I’m attempting to cultivate a love for the urban environment— to make my aesthetics line up with my intellect.
I suspect this will be a long process. Some tastes are more deeply rooted than others, and my love for rural landscapes seems hard to shift. But in the spirit of thinking the way I want to feel, here’s my attempt at an urbanist’s prayer:
Hail cities, full of space
Efficient are thee.
Blessed art thou amongst dwellings,
And blessed is the fruit of thy rooms, progress.
Holy city, mother of growth,
Shelter us citizens
Now until the hour of our death
Amen.
(Hat tip to the Catholics for the format).