moving to a city

While the definition of a "city" is something that will always remain ambiguous, the demarcation between an urban and rural experience is marked by shocking differences. If you happen to be a person who grew up in a house where you could not see your neighbors, then moving to place where the major landscaping elements are strangers, buildings, roads, and cars then you need some time to adapt. You can question the wisdom of the decision, but certain economic (or educational) forces have made the city experience an inevitability. It is not that the city decreases privacy, it is that privacy requires effort and planning. You can't wake up in the morning and say "I'm going for a walk in the woods" because there is nothing resembling a forest within walking distance. I also tend to think that cities are agoraphobic more than claustrophobic--the multitude of experiences is overwhelming and the space of the city spreads out with a peculiar form of uniformity.