When a city grows and suburbs develop, they develop in places which used to be the countryside. In my neighborhood, before the suburbs grew, people lived in small, old houses and grew vegetables, took care of animals or worked in a nearby factory. Now, city planners (the workers who design and control the growth of a city) have built new apartment buildings for the people who used to live in the old houses. Gradually, more people have moved in and opened restaurants, markets, a mall, two famous universities and many good schools. Having famous universities, good schools and big malls in the suburbs is no accident. City planners intentionally want people living in the suburbs to have access to high-quality lives, just like those who live in the city center. Placing good public facilities such as hospitals, schools and parks in the suburbs also encourage people to move from the city center, which is very crowded, into the suburbs.
Even though the suburbs in Shanghai are quite pleasant to live in, there are always challenges. Transportation is one of the challenges that I face on a daily basis. Everything in the suburbs is a lot more spread out than in the city center. It takes me 30 minutes to walk to my university, which is only four blocks away! The blocks in the suburbs are so long. The suburb where I live is new, so the Shanghai metro does not reach any stops near my apartment. If I want to go to the city center, I have to walk ten minutes to a bus stop and wait for the bus which passes every 15 minutes. Then I spend 20 minutes riding the bus, which takes me to the nearest metro station.
