Jake Hughes- Module 7

  1. The city I am choosing is Vancouver. Vancouver is located just above Washington. It is a city within the country of Canada. It is a west coast seaport in British Columbia. It is quite an ethnically diverse city. Within the city of Vancouver, there are all kinds of different neighborhoods. I will focus on downtown for this portion however. The downtown area of Vancouver would be classified as urban downtown. There are about 50,000 people living within downtown Vancouver. The reason I chose Vancouver is because I really want to visit there. Vancouver is so close to the border of Washington. I wanted to know how different it would feel to cross into Canada for a trip. It seems like such a beautiful place. I would absolutely love the outdoor recreational opportunities and the downtown scenery.
  2. The first city I am going to discuss for the next part of the post is Boston. After I read up on Boston, Massachusetts, I was able to get a deeper understanding of how life would be. They referred to an area in Boston named Beacon Hill. It has beautiful streets and is a very wealthy neighborhood. I think if Vancouver were able to decrease the amount of cars used and increase the amount of people walking, that it would increase the sustainability significantly. If Vancouver had beautiful streets to walk on, some people would be more enticed to walk among them and not drive a car. Although, Vancouver is doing rather a good job with transportation. They have 6 train stations and many busses for alternative means of transportation.
  3. The next city I would like to look at is Copenhagen. Copenhagen decided to take the cars out of the main streets. Denmark has opened so many public spaces which allowed for many locals to walk down the streets. People have coffee, ride bikes, and socialize on the streets now. There are far more bikes used for transportation than cars. All the cafes and bars have bikes outside of their establishments. If Vancouver were able to transition to a bike and open-street lifestyle, the businesses would thrive. The amount of cars would be limited, also aiding in the sustainability of the city. The many people employed in sustainable development could facilitate the transition in the city of Vancouver. Giving the people of Vancouver their open spaces back will help with sustainability and also the happiness of the community and local businesses.

2 thoughts on “Jake Hughes- Module 7

  1. Hi Jake, my name is Avi and your post caught my attention because I share an interest in the city of Vancouver. I highly recommend you visit there one day! I am an avid mountain biker and I can tell you all the outdoor recreation and the city in general is absolutely amazing. My favorite city I have ever visited. There are amazing places to walk and ride bikes in the parks and around the city, but I agree the inner city part could be a little more pedestrian friendly to encourage more people to walk.

    Here is my module 6 post: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/03/18/module-7-sustainable-cities-4/

  2. Hi Jake! I talked about urban farming and the potential of making my town, Hummelstown, into a car-free zone like Copenhagen. I noticed you also talked a lot about making Vancouver into a car- free zone like Copenhagen, or Beacon Hill. I think the idea of a car-free town is so interesting, and would love to see more towns and cities implement the idea. This is such a good idea because it would be great for both the inhabitants as well as the environment! Here is the link to my post if you’re interested in learning more (http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/03/18/sustainable-cities-alex-deebel/).

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