Walking and the Suburbanized Psyche by Rebecca Solnit Article Analysis

In the article “Walking and the Suburbanized Psyche”, Rebecca Solnit talks about how the act of walking has been devalued and led to many lost values. She talks about modern barriers: roads, freeways, and walls. Solnit then describes the effect of modern barriers, shutting people away from each other because they cannot physically reach each other. She also states a side effect of suburbanization is that the younger generation is then affected by a loss of walking, halting their imagination as they stay glued to a screen, consuming media. Solnit then states how walking is an action that is important to humans. Solnit believes that walking is a biological medium where people understand the natural world around them through every step taken on a walk. I agree with Solnit that humanity will lose its connection to nature, social ability,and imagination.

Solnit argues that the development of the suburbs has affected the environment, walking has devalued people's connection with nature. Solnit writes “We are in a(n) era of walls, guards and security systems, and of architecture, design, and technology intended to eliminate or nullify public space .” This in many ways is the truth. The modern suburban environment removes the connection with nature. In the suburban and urban environment, people are forced to use cars because of how the environment is designed as walking would physically take them too long to get to their destination. Demeaning the idea of walking as it would be less favorable for them, for people think the fastest way is the best. However, there is evidence to the contrary. In a research titled “Walking for Well-Being: Are Group Walks in Certain Types of Natural Environments Better for Well-Being than Group Walks in Urban Environments?” by Melissa R. Marselle, Katherine N. Irvine, and Sara L. Warber, they compare whether the environment of a “natural” environment had a more positive effect than on an urban environment. By having 2 environments prepared they then measure the satisfaction of the participants in the walks. The results showed that the group that was in the “natural” environment had higher activity levels and more important were the levels of happiness. Through showing how effective the environment can affect a person's well being and can affect how walking in a natural environment, it shows that walking and its ability for one to form a connection with the environment that is around one plays an important role in people and by neglecting it we are hurting ourselves. 

Walking is a medium for many purposes, particularly people’s social ability. Solnit believed that walking could be a medium of a healthy body and healthy mind. She talks about how people’s minds have been warped in many ways that have led to them having arbitrary understandings “walking can become a sign of powerlessness or low status, and new urban and suburban design disdains the walker. Walking is longer, so to speak, how many people think.” The suburban environment has left people inside of barriers making them feel more separated from the world. I have certainly felt like this; growing up in a suburban environment it often felt like people were days away from me and I grew a mindset of not being sociable.  In a TED talk by Joyce Shulman, Shulman describes her experience at how walking has affected her. She says how walking has kept her “sane, fit, and healthy.”  Shulman then describes the process of the brain while people are walking; she states that when people are walking they are able to think about the conversation more and organize their thoughts in a response better than they would be if they were sitting down and talking. Shulman makes the point that walking is an important part of human beings through her own experiences and the medical benefits that walking provides. Through describing her experience of walking and the benefits that walking provides, Shulman proves that walking is an important tool for the health of people’s social ability.   

Solnit argues that the loss of walking is a medium that helps people develop their imagination. Solnit describes how “To view them as a negative is to condemn Biology” and “the fight for free space … a fight for free time to spend wandering in that space. Otherwise, the individual imagination will be bulldozed over for the chain-store.” Walking does have its effect on people’s imagination and how walking creates an environment for people to use to allow themselves to have a clearer imagination. A research paper by Stanford on walking and its effect on the mind, conducted by Marily Oppezo and Daniel Schwartz, showed that the act of walking regardless of the environment would cause an increase in creativity. By having 176 participants sit or walk in either an indoor or outdoor setting and responding to various questions they relied on the participant’s interpretations or a complex understanding of an object. The process was split into 4 different experiments. The first type of experiment had the participants sitting than walking on a treadmill and trying to find novel uses for simple items. The second type is where the participants are placed outdoors and are given the same problems.  The results show that the responses from those who were walking, whether indoors or outdoors, had higher creativity demonstrated than the ones who had to sit. The process of merely walking allows people to be more creative and express themselves. The act of walking does have a profound effect on the mind and specifically on the imagination that one has. 

In closing, I agree with Solnit that because walking is being devalued in society, society will lose there healthy mind, social ability, and imagination. While people can still develop these skills without walking or even through more effective means. Walking has been proven to be the most effective way for people to have a healthy mind and body. Additionally, walking could also help people in their imagination by just walking. People are able to think in more imaginative ways. I believe walking is one of the most powerful tools people have for themselves.