My hometown is Douglassville, PA. It is technically considered a census-designated place which means it is a populated area with no municipal government. It has a low density. Douglassville is located in southeastern Pennsylvania. It is situated a half-hour east of Reading and an hour west of Philadelphia. Douglassville is an automobile suburb. This is because all the residents drive to their destinations. There is also a main route that begins in my town that runs straight to Philadelphia. Many local residents use this route to go to work every day. The population of Douglassville is approximately 500 residents. The size is approximately .65 square miles. I have personally lived in Douglassville my entire life. Despite this, I spent more time in neighboring towns. This is because all of my family and friends live in these other places. I also went to school outside of the local area. Douglassville is basically a populated area that surrounds a main route that goes to Philadelphia one way and Reading the other. All the residents of Douglassville commute these two directions for work.
The first city from the module I will discuss is the suburb of Rochester, NY. I chose this area because it is also an automobile suburb and located outside of a major city. The comparable major city to Douglassville would be Philadelphia. My neighborhood and this neighborhood are both single-use, as well as, have low density. The street in the picture reminds me of my street due to the lack of sidewalks and partially worn-down macadam. The rows of two-story homes and large lawns are also similar to my neighborhood. For both of these places, I believe it would be hard to become much more sustainable. These two areas are built off of commuters who drive to work every day. Buses and bicycles would prove futile due to the distance between home and work for the residents.
The second city from the module I will discuss is Chicago. Chicago and Douglassville are not very similar since one is a city and the other is a suburb. Their scales are completely different. The reason I chose Chicago is because of their urban farming. Douglassville is rural with local farms in the area, but I feel like the residents could definitely do some more residence farming. Douglassville can be even more sustainable if everybody grew certain food in gardens in their own yards. If major cities are growing food on rooftops, a rural town can definitely grow even more food on their own property. This would lead to less commuting by Douglassville residents. The closest grocery store has to be driven to, so growing our own food would reduce the number of grocery trips, ultimately reducing the use of gas.