My town is State College, PA and I have lived there for my entire life. The majority of the town is filled with automobile suburbs (I live in one). Most stores and shops are about a fifteen minute walk away. Yet, it is easier to drive as sidewalks are not always available. CATA buses stop at a few of these neighborhoods, providing an additional way to travel around town. State College has a few pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods near the center of town as well. Many college students live in these areas and walk to work or campus every day. Around 41,000 people live in State College year round. The number does not include Penn State students. The urban density of the town is fairly low, with most buildings around three stories high. The downtown area is largely mixed use as stores, restaurants, churches, and school buildings are near one another. I was born in State College and have seen the development of the town required to meet the needs of the population.

The city of Curitiba is similar to State College as they both have a working bus system. State College uses the CATA bus system to transport people to different locations around town. The city of Curitiba uses their bus system to transport roughly 2.3 million people to and from the city on a daily basis. I think State College could change their bus system to make it more efficient and to reduce pollution. The buses in Curitiba have double corridors and they run to locations outside of the city. If State College had double corridor buses, they could transport more people in a shorter amount of time. They could reduce the number of buses on the road, leading to a decrease in pollution as well. Additionally, if the CATA bus system extended their routes further into outlying neighborhoods, more citizens would have access to buses. They would not have to drive their car to work or around town every day. As a result, more people would ride the bus, thus discouraging pollution and congestion.

The urban agriculture found in Detroit can be related to State College as well. Detroit emphasized farming as a way citizens could increase their food and income. Many citizens around State College grow their own food by planting gardens in their backyards. The town is not located in a food desert, because citizens have access to fresh produce. Yet, I think State College could encourage citizens to grow more of their own produce. In Detroit, farmers sell their fruits and vegetables at a farmers market. Citizens of State College have access to these markets downtown. Sadly, these markets are not usually held in the outlying areas of town. It would be great to have communities set up their own farmers market. People could bring their own produce to sell to neighbors in their area. Additionally, it might be a good idea to encourage small communities to grow food together. It would allow for people to work together to create a more sustainable future for State College and their neighborhood.