I am from King of Prussia (KOP), PA, which is right outside of Philadelphia. It is both a streetcar suburb and an automobile suburb. King of Prussia has a population of around 20,000 people. I have a strong connection to King of Prussia because I have lived there my entire life. It recently has started to add on to the mall and build a lot of new stores, which has been causing a lot more traffic and it just all seems very hectic. It definitely does not look the same as it did ten years ago. Although it is pretty cool to have one of the largest malls in the United States, it kind of annoys me that the town is growing so much because every time I go home I come home to something different. Sometimes it is just too much to handle and is becoming less sustainable in my opinion despite the fact that is developing quickly.
The first city I chose was Beacon Hill because of how different it is from King of Prussia. While Beacon Hill is a pedestrian-oriented neighborhood, KOP is not. KOP is very much so a streetcar and automobile suburb, like I mentioned above. Although there are many shops, stores, jobs, and other things in both places, it is not as desirable to go to these places in KOP because it does not nearly look as beautiful as Beacon Hill. There is so much traffic in KOP that it is impossible to get anywhere without hitting it. If KOP was more like Beacon Hill, there would be a lot less traffic and a lot less emission from cars. This would make the air quality so much better.
The next city I want to discuss is Detroit, Michigan. Although Detroit is a big city, urban agriculture has been becoming more popular to keep the city healthier, reduce poverty, and even improve climate change. King of Prussia, although useful when you’re on the run, has a lot of fast food places. I admit that yes, I go there. But it would also be nice to have a farmer’s or local market where there is a healthier option that is affordable for everyone. There is in fact a small farmer’s market, but it is only once a week for a couple of hours. It would be nice if there was one that was open every day or even just a couple of days a week. It would not only improve the health of the people in King of Prussia, but also the environment.
Hi Caitlyn! My name is Julie, and I am an Early Childhood Education Major! In my entry, I talked about my hometown of Dunmore, PA and then related it to Boston, MA and Rochester, NY! Your post caught my attention because I have been to King of Prussia (I love the mall there!), and I remember traffic always being crazy there. I noticed that we both talked about Beacon Hill and how if our hometowns were like that place, then there would be less emission of gas from cars making the air cleaner. Here is a link to my post! http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/03/17/urban-planning-julie-cardillo/
Hi Caitlyn! My name is Mara Bunting and I am a Sophomore at Penn State UP. What I found very interesting about your post is when you said that every time you go home, something is different. That must be annoying yet very surprising. Our hometowns are similar in a way that are populations are similar in number and I have a large mall in the neighboring town from me. When I go home from breaks it’s crazy to see how hectic it is and how much traffic the mall causes. I really liked your post! If you want to check out my blog post, here is a link: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/03/17/module-7-urban-planning-5/