Hat tip to Big Picture blog who brought this well produced and engaging 10 minute video to my attention. It provides an historical perspective on how cities developed and the factors that determine where people live in in the U.S. compared to Europe. This would be a good supplement to your budgeting lesson as housing costs tend to be the largest expense so where you live is consequential:

Questions for students:

• Why did cities in Europe develop differently than those in the U.S.?
• Where do rich people tend to settle in European cities? Why? How is it different in the U.S.?
• What factors led to more suburbanization in the U.S. compared to Europe?
• What is the unintended consequence of this move to the suburbs in the U.S.?
• Where would you prefer to live: the suburbs or a city? Why?

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Check out the most popular NGPF Activity: Create A Salary-Based Budget

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.