1) I am from Greensburg, Pennsylvania and it is a distant suburb of Pittsburgh. It is a little under an hour outside of Pittsburgh and has a population of about 15,000 with a population density of 3,546/ sq. mile. I would consider it to be an automobile suburb. Most people use their personal vehicles to get from place to place. There are sidewalks in downtown Greensburg, but you have to drive there to be able to use them unless you live directly in the city. There are businesses, restaurants, banks, and bars all in the city and all easily accessible by foot. Which is convenient if you live in the city but most of the population does not live directly in town. I have lived here since birth and enjoy the small town aspect of while still having close access to Pittsburgh.
2) The first city I will talk about is Rochester, New York. I chose this city because the picture portrayed in the module is very similar to a Greensburg residential neighborhood. In Rochester, businesses and different shopping centers are spread out and require a car to navigate back and forth between plazas. That is a similar setup to my town of Greensburg. You almost have to have a car to get around because of the few sidewalks. A few ways Greensburg could be more sustainable is to have more apartment buildings in the city to increase the population density. This might decrease the use of cars because more people would be located in the center of town and can walk to work or to stores. A change like this would lower emissions from cars and cut down on greenhouse gases.
3) The second city I will talk about is Detroit, Michigan. I chose to write about this city because of their urban farming program. As far as I know, there are not a lot of farms within the city limits of Greensburg. While there are farms in the rolling hills surrounding the city, there are not a lot within the city. Detroit has established urban farms throughout the city and it has helped it become more sustainable. I believe this could work in Greensburg. There are some abandoned lots and buildings that could be turned into gardens or parks. This food could be sold at local food markets or donated to food banks to help with the nation’s hunger problem. An array of urban farms or gardens could make the city of Greensburg more sustainable.
Hi Ryan! My name is Caitlyn and I am from King of Prussia, PA, which is right outside of Philly. My best friend and roommate is from Greensburg so I know a little bit about the town already. I like how you chose one city that was similar and one that was different. I also wrote about Detroit and completely agree that urban farming is a really good idea. I especially think that using those abandoned buildings and turning them into gardens or parks is so great. It would really benefit the environment.
Here is the link to my post if you wanna check it out! http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/03/17/caitlyn-ramirez-module-7/
Hi Ryan! My name is Jacqueline and here’s a link to my blog!
https://wp.me/p3RCAy-cdR
I’m from a small town in the suburbs of PA, Newtown. Your post caught my eye because the cities that you chose were completely different from the ones that I picked. My town also is an automobile suburb that people have to drive into town to be able to walk around on the sidewalks. I think that your idea of adding more apartments to increase the population and reduce the amount of commuters into the city. In my hometown there are a few farms but not many people actually utilize them to their full potential. I think that if there was more awareness of the farms and having their produce be sold at supermarkets instead of only at the farms.
Great post!