My hometown is Downingtown, PA, a small suburb about 30 miles west of Philadelphia. It has a population of 7,930 and the majority of neighborhoods are automobile suburbs. Although it would be a considered an automobile suburb, I did spend a good amount of time walking between the high school and downtown during my high school years. There are a good amount of recreational parks in my town as well, and many people take advantage of these by walking their dogs or riding bikes. There is also a local lake, so when the weather gets nice a lot of people come out for watersports.
The first city I would like to consider is Copenhagen. Their bike-friendly culture and infrastructure makes it extremely easy to use a bike to travel throughout the city. The bike-only streets and lanes give an added sense of security to bikers, which I feel is important. As well as the social upsides, the environmental impact of switching from cars to mainly bikes is very positive and should be something all cities should try to model themselves after. Adding bike lanes in my town would provide all the above benefits and more.
The second city i would like to consider is Beacon Hill in Boston, MA. The pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods mean they have a smaller reliance on cars than my town, and they most likely have a smaller carbon footprint. The pros of walking around town versus driving are numerous, and the people in my town could certainly benefit from such a norm. A higher reliance on walking or using public transportation takes stress off of personal finances, and reduces one’s carbon footprint, both of which are important.
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Hi it’s Karissa and I really liked your post because you talked about how Downingtown may be an automobile suburbs, but you were still able to get places without a car. An aspect of your post that is similar to mine is how you discuss one’s carbon footprint. i believe people can benefit greatly from walking instead of driving and they can also benefit the environment. I also like how you pointed out how people with a smaller reliance on cars are those who are more sustainable.
Great post!
-Karissa
Hi James, My name is Tyler. I am from Pottstown, which isn’t too far from D-Town. I wish Pottstown had more parks recreation areas that I could go to often.
I agree with what you said about the bikes in Copenhagen. Bikes are faster than walking and healthier than driving so if towns were able to make themselves friendlier to cyclists, that would be better to for the town and the residents health-wise.
Part of the problem with Pottstown is that there are little to no sidewalks outside of the main part and if they added more sidewalks, the town would be less polluted from the cars.
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