By Ellie
Through the month spent in Paris, it has been apparent that here the government invests in public infrastructure. Occasional RER/metro stops have been under construction, but with such a great system, other stops are only 5-10 minute walks away. They also put their resources toward public art in general, like keeping up with the wear and tear of fountains (even Dr. Smith’s favorite ones). It has been such an interesting shift to experience through my time here. I think the US likes to think that they care about public art and infrastructure, or at least we talk about caring. Although, I never really see an ongoing presence of dedication to it in America. Recently in Arlington, VA, where I’m from; the most obvious visible change has been a mass bridge facelift. Since so many went under construction at the same time, I’m sure they got to the point where the county felt they were unsafe and hadn’t been properly maintained or updated in a while. I appreciate the change, seeing that Paris doesn’t just fix everything that’s broken, they avoid it getting to such a severe state or even dangerous to the thousands of people who use their infrastructure daily. I hope America will soon start to appreciate the benefits of upkeep. We have so many issues though, I’m not getting my hopes up.