- My hometown of State College, PA has many different types of neighborhoods. Park Forest is a pedestrian-automobile oriented neighborhood – sidewalks line the streets and many different centers exist in this neighborhood, however you have to drive to get many places. The downtown area is more mixed, with a high urban density and a lot of area to walk. One issue that is the source of much debate in my town is the accessibility and usability of the streets for cars. Most of the streets in town do not possess a bike lane, which has led to several accidents over the past 15 years. With ~40,000 people living year round, as well as ~45,000 students living for most of the year, the issue of safe and sustainable transportation is a pertinent one. For me, I have always lived within walking distance to my schools, as well as downtown and have never had an issue with walking. As the third safest metropolitan area in the United States, I think it would be beneficial to focus on other aspects of safety such as transportation.
- As we learned in previous modules, as well as this one, Copenhagen has a deep love of cycling and sustainable transportation embedded in its culture. The closing off of main streets in the downtown area and availability of bikes has greatly improved the overall vibrance of the city, despite it being located in a colder region. This concept can be applied to State College, a town that has a relatively warm summer, but cold winters. By learning from the way Copenhagen is designed and how they implemented bikes into their culture can help State College reach a new level of sustainability. The majority of University Park students walk to get to class, however, with the expanding landscape of State College, many new apartment buildings are being constructed further away from downtown. CATA buses do a good job of transporting some of these students, but many days the buses are completely full and you have to wait another 40 minutes. By learning from Copenhagen now, instead of waiting until State College is too large, the issue of sustainable transportation can be mitigated.
- Another city that State College could learn a few things about sustainability from is Detroit. Although many issues plague the city, urban agriculture has grown to be a viable and appealing option for many. In Detroit, it arose because it is so difficult to come by food in the city. This led to the innovation of any potential piece of land being used for farms. Though State College does not face a food drought, and it does not appear as though it will be an issue any time soon (State College is surrounded by farm land), it could be a good idea to implement programs in the downtown area as the town begins to expand. This could lead to an expansion of urban mixing, as the downtown area already hosts several food markets for local farmers. As State College grows, it could become a part of our culture, much like cycling and Copenhagen.
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Hi Jacob, check out my post here: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/03/18/module-7-kyle-hoke/
I think it’s interesting to see that there are many neighborhoods within a single area that can have different urban designs. It all depends on where you live to decide what transportation is best. I also discussed using Copenhagen’s reduced traffic programs in my town. I think that is a good idea for this town, but you mention CATA busses as well, and the city of Curitiba could be a great source of inspiration as well.