It can be really hard to appreciate the place we live in, as everyone’s life becomes mundane after a while and even paradise has inconveniences, but it can still be nice to be reminded every once in a while that it is not that bad and that there is more to our little corner of the world than what it may look like. That is exactly what happened when @Brittneedawley, a TikTok user from the U.S moved to Valencia, Spain only to believe that she had just stepped into a movie set.
The scene that she encountered is quite normal for anyone living in Spain, or in most of Europe past the cold season, people everywhere, playing volleyball, dancing, doing yoga, walking dogs and just enjoying the outdoors and the company of others. This normalcy did not register with Brittnee who seemed mesmerized by the experience and shocked at what she was seeing in the streets.
The differences in culture between the US and Spain
While the video in itself is nothing special, the sentiment behind it reveals a bigger clue about why Brittnee was surprised to encounter people in the streets. In the U.S., especially in suburban or car-centric cities, the idea of spontaneous social interaction in a public space can feel almost foreign. These cities are designed around cars and houses are often separated from shops and parks because of strict zoning laws that prevent mixed use areas, so casual street life does not exist.
Brittnee, who has been sharing her life in Valencia for a while now, is feeling the contrast and showing her followers what it is like to settle into a new culture. In this case, it is a southern European culture, where cities are made for walking. Streets are narrow, parks and plazas are everywhere, and there always a café or bar just around the corner.
The design of these cities which have evolved and expanded throughout centuries, are made to allow street living and the use of public spaces. But it is not just the design, it si the culture overall that encourages the mixing of people. In the U.S., social life tends to revolve around private spaces, like your home or your back yard, but in Spain, the street itself is part of your social life, and people head out just to be out, grab a drink on a terrace, let the kids run around the square, and see who they run into.
That is why public areas like plazas and parks are typically clean, well-lit, and full of life, and this is helped and encouraged by good city planning, public investment, and a cultural expectation that these spaces matter. People expect their cities to be livable, and governments have (mostly) delivered.
Sadly, with globalization and cuts in public funding, this kind of street life is not guaranteed to last. As families become smaller and ideas of “efficiency” and “modernity” spread, European cities face pressure to become more like their American counterparts, and although there have been may initiatives to push back against these ideals, politicians tend to hide behind the idea of lack of funds to make these public spaces either disappear or be a lot less pleasant.
It should not take someone from abroad to help us see what we have and the treasure that it is, but the surprise that Brittnee showed just puts into perspective how rare these spaces are in some places around the world and how special it is that we get to enjoy them and share them. Keeping that spirit alive means more than just good policy, it means showing up, because doing nothing will guarantee that we loose what is so special.