List: The Perfect City

1) No cars

Driving in cities is a nightmare. Stop and go traffic, changing lights – green, yellow, red – zooming cars to the left and right, worrying that you’ll miss the right turn, worrying that you won’t find a parking place. It’s much less stressful to sit back, relax and enjoy the commute to work or town center on a bus or subway. Public transportation not only spares you a few gray hairs, it also reduces humanity’s impact on the environment, saves you some bucks and puts a little more human to human interaction back into our daily lives. Alternatively, bikes are a great way to get around the city and they’re not nearly as frustrating to navigate as cars. Who doesn’t need a little extra exercise anyway?

2) Farmers markets galore

I love wandering among stalls filled with piles of gleaming apples, bunches of green kale, jars of homemade jellies and salsas, and aromatic bars of homemade soaps. Farmers markets not only provide you with fresh, and often organic, fruits and veggies and other goods, but they also bring communities together and create a sense of kinship. They’re a great place to meet with friends and learn what’s happening in the area. You don’t’ have to worry about where your meat comes from or whether your lettuce is really organic. Support local farmers and taste the freshness in your next juicy peach.

3) A hip and trendy central area with no motorized vehicles

A city needs a center. Urban sprawl has divided many cities into multiple sectors without one true central district. These pivotal areas abound with small shops and open air cafes and street performers strum their guitars while onlookers toss change into their guitar cases. A good city center to me means sipping a foamy latte at a local coffee shop and people watching as the morning sun rises in the sky. Or browsing through books at a mom and pop bookstore or stopping to watch a one-man band show his stuff on the curbside. There are no cars, of course, only pedestrians and cyclists, if they don’t mind the cobblestone streets.

4) Trees, flower, shrub and more

A beautiful city means beautiful and happy people. Studies have shown that living in places where trees, flowers and other plants are plentiful elevates people’s happiness and quality of life. Flowers and such also attract butterflies and birds, so plant a garden, plant a tree and enjoy the greenery around you.

5) Policemen on horseback

I’ve always loved the old British tradition of policemen on horseback

6) No trash

I can’t stand trash. No one wants to pick up after you and you shouldn’t think that you’re above everyone else. So please use a trashcan. In Singapore the minimum fine for littering is $1000. I think that’s a little extreme, but it gets the point across.

7) Theater or cultural center

Who doesn’t like to see an off-broadway show or let it loose at a wild concert?

8) Good eats

Good food is a definite must for a perfect city. Asian, European, Latin American, African – you name it. I’ve found that most of the best ethnic restaurants are owned and operated by Mom and Pop while the more gourmet haunts are under the regime of culinary school stand-outs. Don’t forget the vegans and vegetarians out there – we all love to sink our teeth into a multi-tiered tofu sandwich once and awhile.

9) In close proximity to a natural playground

City life is fun – always movies to catch, bands to see, new restaurants to try. But if you’re anything like me, you need a pine strewn forest path to stroll along or an adrenaline rushing mountain biking trail to cruise to get you back in touch with the great outdoors. A city located just outside the gates of a national, or even state, park allows for weekend camping trips, boundless hiking opportunities, mountain lakes to swim in, and more. In the winter months, hiking trails are perfect for snow-shoeing and dormant chair lifts creak back into life.

10) Chill, but mellow nightlife

I’m not a partier and I don’t like bars. That said, I do like to go out at night and have a good time. My idea of a chill city night scene is watching live music at a trendy nightclub or having a drink or two at a classy joint. No casinos, disco clubs or all-night ragers please.