Flow Dynamics: A new way to think of the way we view city living

Plato often compared the complex dynamics of city life (politics, government, families, and etc.) with the inner workings of the human body and mind. The inherent nature of coexistence within the two systems cannot be neglected.  In both systems, no matter how obscure or how irrelevant something may seem, they play an integral role.  To have a healthy system, all parts must work closely together.

The danger of living in the city for too long is that it becomes easier and easier to think of yourself as a seperate entity, like a free electron just bouncing around from place to place, not realizing or denying the connection that exists between yourself and other entities.


My primary interest is in the study of traffic patterns.

It is incredible to think that one driver who wishes to take a left turn, when it is illegal to do so, can create a small traffic jam filled with annoyed drivers right behind him.  Through this one person's selfish actions, traffic forms right behind him, but what is more amazing is that the small traffic jam created behind him also creates a rippling effect that can cause various traffic for miles throughout the city.

In its simplest and most visual form it is possible to witness that one person's actions can affect the life/decisions/schedule of hundreds of people all around him.

This concept is rather interesting to me.  In a city most people believe that since there are so many people, their actions could not possibly matter. I disagree. Every action we take, whether cutting someone off, not stopping for a pedestrian, or not throwing away your trash in a trashcan, can have wide spread consequences, as well as every kind action we take.

I have recently been trying to actively follow a new code of conduct for myself while living in the city.  

Everytime I leave the house is to do everything I can to make the traffic of the city flow as efficiently as possible whether I am walking, riding or driving. Here are some simple rules that I follow, there are more which I will put up later.

1) Be incredibly vigilant to understand how traffic flows.  It is a living breathing structure.
2) When driving, walking, shopping, or riding, NEVER text, talk on the phone, or otherwise be distracted in some way, we are not that important that we need to check twitter every 2 minutes.
3) Don't be an asshole bike rider.