I live in a town known as Franklin Township. It is located in northern New Jersey, about a half an hour from the Delaware River and a sending district to the regional high school about 15 minutes away. It is a rural town, with neighborhoods that would be considered automobile suburbs. Most of the town does not have sidewalks and the older part of the town consisting of a fire station, a small church, and an old graphite mill are located on the same street. The newer surrounding developments are filled with large, new houses. Franklin Township has a population of over 3,000 people made up of 1,122 households. Large farms separate the developments and the old Main Street. My parents know most of the people in the town and they have lived here since I was born. Like I have said in a post earlier in the semester, I feel that my town has more cows than people however; it’s a peaceful place with lots of space to enjoy life.

My town could take development ideas from the Jamaica Plain in Boston, Massachusetts. This streetcar suburb with “Main Street” style stores and sidewalks are within walking distance from streetcar stops. My town could use this as a model for sustainability. Developing the main street to incorporate more small businesses, a park, and some sidewalks would make it possible for more foot traffic in the town and to help limit the amount of car use within the limits of the town. The Boston suburb is centered on the streetcar. Although the streetcar may be out of the question for my small town, incorporating busses or ways to carpool would be beneficial to decrease the amount of car traffic within the town. Busses could go to the local food store and the school. The town could set up a system for carpooling to take kids to neighboring towns, to the mall, and to recreation fields for sporting activities. These ideas based on the Boston suburb would increase sustainability within Franklin Township.

Another city that could give my town sustainable developments would be Bogota, Columbia. The Bogota Ciclovia happens every Sunday and holiday where cars are forbidden on 120 kilometers of streets. People in Columbia are then allowed to bike, dance, and do activities on the street. This Ciclovia builds community awareness and acceptance. Introducing this idea to my town would benefit the residents greatly. Having maybe a day or two a month where people cannot drive on the main street would give way for the school children, the families and the other people in town to be active and fit and to get closer to the people in town. It would also limit the car traffic and help introduce walking and biking to the culture of my town helping to diminish the amount of automobiles in the area and change the social norms. Bogota, Columbia offers great ideas to incorporate sustainable ideas into Franklin Township, New Jersey.