I am currently reading, however slowly, the newly released book: Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier (Penguin, 2011), by Harvard economist, Edward Glaeser. I love all books that extol the countless benefits of city-living, but this book in particular hinges on the fascinating notion that what makes cities so powerful and influential is their unmatched ability to efficiently cultivate and exchange ideas among people. Throughout time, artistic, cultural, industrial, and technological innovations have sprouted in cities from lots of different people with lots of different ideas living and working so closely to each other.
I know that one of my favorite things about city-living is the constant bustle and vibrancy of the city, and the fact that I can hardly walk down my block without running into people I know among all the strangers who pass by. I can see how ideas can quickly and easily flow from one person to another.... so perhaps urban homeschooling will become a new renaissance thanks to the din of the city.
