The case study from the Colby- Sustainable Development website concentrates on traffic congestion in London, England. Traffic congestion in the inner city is detrimental to the population and environment, ultimately causing constant traffic, inefficiency to drivers and an increase in air pollution. To fix this issue, London has implemented a license system, which charges a single flat-rate to ones license in the inner city between 7 am to 6:30 pm on Mondays to Fridays. As a result, there’s been an enormous decrease in miles driven and an increase in public transportation, which inevitably decreases traffic congestion and pollution. Socially, this system saves time, reduces accidents and reduces CO2 emissions. The license system exemplifies the geography term, sustainable development. Throughout time, the people of London recognized the depletion of gas as it becomes scarce, the cumulative role of pollution, and the social role that traffic has on individual lives. Therefore, to sustain a life where future generations will be happy and have unlimited resources, it is necessary to adopt a system to limit congestion.
http://personal.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/Allison.htm
The case study from the “Farming First” website focuses on the “Family Program” in Peru, which exporters Comercio&Cia set up, to give farmers credit for coffee sold. Previously, coffee producers had low levels of fertilizer and low incomes. Neither banks nor the government provided farmers with any credit when they were at this high risk. As a result, Comercio&Cia launched the “Family Program” which not only provides credit but also trains farmers in agronomic management. This program gradually expanded and helped farmers diversify their farm production and increase their income. Socially, this program improved family relationships and promoted biodiversity. The term historical geography is important in this case study because through this program, coffee farmers were able to diversify and specialize their farm produce. By learning throughout history, Comercio&Cia started a program that provides credit, increases incomes, and teaches skills to farmers in order to be successful.
The case study on the license system for traffic congestion and the case study about the “Family Program” connect with my hometown Potomac, Maryland. I live about 40 minutes from Washington, DC, so I understand the congestion of traffic. As a result of this congestion, we have express lanes that have different toll prices during rush hour in order to decrease the demand. Similar to London, Maryland provides numerous methods of public transportation such as the metro or buses. In the past, toll expressways and public transportation did not exist; however, neither did this high demand of traffic. Therefore, it is necessary to decrease driving to protect the environment. The second case study does not relate as well to my hometown because farmers in Maryland don’t have the same issues as Peruvian farmers. Our farming conditions are very different so it is challenging to compare the two different countries. Nonetheless, two issue Maryland farmers have are an increase in suburban development along with an increase in pollution of chemicals into rivers.
Hi Caren! My name is Amanda and here is a link to my blog:
http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/24/congestion-and-poverty-case-studies/
In my blog post, I talk about two case studies which deal with poverty in Mexico and pollution/congestion of traffic in London. We both discuss the London case study, and I thought your response to it was interesting. I did not connect it to sustainable development, instead, I connected it to GDP/income. So, it was great to read about your ideas, especially the social role of traffic. Traffic is something we talk about frequently in our lives, and for some, it is a part of their daily routine. Most people do not enjoy it, so getting rid of it will benefit the well-being of citizens in London as well as the environment.