My hometown is Leesburg, Virginia. It is about 33 miles west-northwest of Washington DC and is home to about 48,000 people. Leesburg is a pedestrian-oriented neighborhood founded in 1730. I have lived in Leesburg for the past 4 years and it is very family friendly. In Leesburg we have an old courthouse, some antique shops, bars with live entertainment and restaurants surrounded by cobble stone. Leesburg is located in, Loudoun County, the richest county in the United States and though many people drive places it is not considered an automobile suburb. On the weekends, especially during the summer you will see families and kids walking around all round town. This includes even walking and staying up after dark. I love Leesburg. It appeals to people of all ages and even though I have only been living there for four years it is a place I consider to be my home.
Where I live it can be compared to the town called Beacon hill in the module 7 reading. According to the reading Beacon hill is a hip lively town filled with very wealthy residents and many attractions. Leesburg is very similar as buildings resemble the those in the city, brick buildings, cobble stone ally ways and the buildings are squeezed together side by side. The atmosphere on the weekends is much like that of a City as well. There are live bands that play not only at the bars but on the “Green” for families and kids. Walking is common in Leesburg, however there’s still a use of automobiles as a source of transportation. Though both towns are alike, there are some things that Beacon Hill offers that could make my town more sustainable. If Leesburg made walking more accessible to its residents, we could cut down on pollution. This making Leesburg more sustainable for the future and a better way for pedestrians to interact with each other.
The second city I chose from this module was Copenhagen. This module mentions the importance and consideration that many people in Copenhagen have for cyclists. Leesburg is also home to many cyclists. To get to my house downtown we have to go through the back roads, as in roads that have twists and turns and have many hills. Its about a mile long and during the summer you will see hundreds of cyclists riding on them. The only problem with this is that we do not have bike lanes and many Leesburg residents are not considerate of these cyclists. The back roads are so narrow and hilly that those who drive are not able to pass them as it is very dangerous. Therefore, creating a major traffic jam and potential accidents. As stated in the module I think Leesburg could benefit from Copenhagen’s traffic calming program. My town does consider cyclists as pedestrians, if were were to immerse this idea into the residents of the town I think there would be a lot less traffic and pollution.
3 thoughts on “Module 7-Sustainable Cities”
Wow, Leesburg sounds like my kind of place! I really miss living in the country. We couldn’t even see our neighbors homes, and if you wanted to get around, it was by car or horse. I also compared my hometown to Copenhagen. I love their bike culture. We could use more bike lanes and accommodations too. I would love to visit that city someday!
Here is a link to my blog, if you get a chance https://sites.psu.edu/geog30/?p=47052&preview=true
Hi, my name is Nicolina and what caught my eye about your post is that I’ve never been to Virginia to actually know what the cities are like. Your town sounds like the up and coming neighborhoods in downtown Philadelphia. The night life is very entertaining and many people walk around with friends, family, and children too. Your town sounds fun and it would probably promote the entertainment area in your city if they implemented for sustainable sidewalks and walkways. It also sounds like biking around your town would be nice and peaceful and also an activity you can do with friends or family and it would help the environment by lowering the amount of traffic passing through. Here’s a link to my blog about my hometown of Northeast Philadelphia. http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/03/17/sustainable-cities-northeast-philadelphia/
Leesburg sound like a pretty fun place to be. How is your hometown not very accessible when it comes to walking? Are there no sidewalks or are they unkempt? The town that I live in has almost no sidewalks at all. For your last paragraph, I agree that bike lanes can be important to helping create a sustainable town. I believe that in Pennsylvania it is a state law to have to share the road with cyclists (almost as if they are considered cars). I think most people see this as annoying, but legally we are bound to share the road with cyclists.
Wow, Leesburg sounds like my kind of place! I really miss living in the country. We couldn’t even see our neighbors homes, and if you wanted to get around, it was by car or horse. I also compared my hometown to Copenhagen. I love their bike culture. We could use more bike lanes and accommodations too. I would love to visit that city someday!
Here is a link to my blog, if you get a chance https://sites.psu.edu/geog30/?p=47052&preview=true
Hi, my name is Nicolina and what caught my eye about your post is that I’ve never been to Virginia to actually know what the cities are like. Your town sounds like the up and coming neighborhoods in downtown Philadelphia. The night life is very entertaining and many people walk around with friends, family, and children too. Your town sounds fun and it would probably promote the entertainment area in your city if they implemented for sustainable sidewalks and walkways. It also sounds like biking around your town would be nice and peaceful and also an activity you can do with friends or family and it would help the environment by lowering the amount of traffic passing through. Here’s a link to my blog about my hometown of Northeast Philadelphia. http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/03/17/sustainable-cities-northeast-philadelphia/
Leesburg sound like a pretty fun place to be. How is your hometown not very accessible when it comes to walking? Are there no sidewalks or are they unkempt? The town that I live in has almost no sidewalks at all. For your last paragraph, I agree that bike lanes can be important to helping create a sustainable town. I believe that in Pennsylvania it is a state law to have to share the road with cyclists (almost as if they are considered cars). I think most people see this as annoying, but legally we are bound to share the road with cyclists.