I was born and grew up in the United States, and I’ve lived in suburban contexts my whole life. One of the things I never noticed until I traveled outside of North America was how many of the amenities that I’ve become accustomed to – running water, access to home heating fuels, electricity – seem to just be there. They’re available as if out of nowhere. Gas supply pipes are usually buried, electrical lines are visible but so ordinary that they’re easy to ignore and water is always ready to Continue reading →