Since touching down in Munich on Tuesday morning, there has not been much rest for the wicked. From hiking with my cousin to leisurely walking the streets of Munich, and to hustling through the streets of Bamberg only to be late to my appointment, this week has felt like the longest of my life.
When not preoccupied with figuring out where to purchase a WiFi router or how to buy a bus pass on my phone, I walked through my new home. What I realized was that this town would make the late Josh Rogers proud. Rogers was the CEO of NewTown Macon when he died last November at the age of 42. He was also an adjunct professor at Mercer, his alma mater, where he taught a course titled Urban Ecology in spring 2024.
The course was centered around making cities better spaces for its inhabitants, and it often focused on what separated lousy and livable cities.
His was a very hands-off approach to teaching. He loved to hear his students’ input on their assigned readings, and when they didn’t do their readings, he would adapt the day’s class so that students could still express their opinions on what Rogers had devoted his life to: urban design and beautification.
What Rogers delivered to me, one of his students, was a lasting interest in the way that cities are set up and developed, and he did that in just four short months. Since November, I have often thought of Rogers’ impact as I walked through Macon. Now abroad, I think of his teaching in Bamberg, too.
The closest grocery store to Mercer is about a two-and-a-half mile walk from campus that crosses below a major highway whose construction has rendered any sidewalks impassible. The issue leads people to walk through the construction zone - or on the street - and to their final destination, putting them in harm’s way.
Drivers who spend time at a red light where Interstate 16 crosses over U.S. Route 129 will see pedestrians walk over a soil embankment not intended for foot traffic. In places that are not active construction zones, danger still exists. Drivers can frequently see folks flit across the intersection of College Street and Forsyth Street in electric wheelchairs as they steer away from oncoming traffic.
Rogers, in some of his spirited lectures, would explain to his class just how important pedestrians are to a city’s vibrancy. Increases in city foot traffic often coincide with increases in businesses’ sales, he explained, which encourages more businesses to open that in turn bring out more people to shop, creating a positive feedback loop. Today, Macon’s storefronts are filling up with each passing month, but there is work to do yet. If the city would like to move further in its quest to be a destination instead of a pitstop, it will have to use the same principles that Rogers preached in class.
Since coming to Mercer, I have never had a room with a kitchen to stock with supplies or dishes. More importantly, though, I have also never lived in a city set up so that everything is within walking distance of my apartment complex. But, now that I do have such a dorm in Germany, I have shopped for ingredients and have had to construct a rough sketch of my weekly meal plan. As I assembled a small but serviceable list of kitchen supplies, I had to tow each pot, plate and package of spätzle from the store to my apartment, either with public transit or on foot. I have yet to break a sweat or the law in doing so because pedestrians are valued here.
Building new attractions around the city is nice, but prioritizing the citizens of Macon and ensuring that everyone, regardless of mobility, can reach everything they need is crucial to their living a dignified and connected life.
Gabriel Kopp '26 is majoring in Journalism and Law and Public Policy at Mercer University. He has written for The Cluster since he started at Mercer, and currently works as co-Editor-in-Chief. When he isn't studying, he enjoys going for runs and reading The New York Times or the AJC while sipping coffee.
