Hometown: Woodside, Queens

Hey, my name is Ahmed Ismail. For the majority of my life, I grew up in a crowded little neighborhood in one of New York's congested five boroughs. It is called Woodside, which was located in the borough of Queens. Like Sarah and Nicki, I have also moved but only twice. The first was within the city and the second was my more recent move to Tampa, Florida. Like most towns and neighborhoods, there is a main road to connect everything together. Only in my old neighbor hood in Queens, there were several main roads including Queens Boulevard, the Brooklyn Queens Expressway or the BQE, the Long Island Expressway or the LIE, and many more. The land around New York is very much and exceedingly developed - meaning all the space is pretty much taking up by some sort of building or road. This would also mean that green space within parks or anywhere else for that matter is very scarce.

Even though the idea of a city is put on the same page as major air pollution and traffic congestion, New Yorkers seem to have seem to have a relatively small carbon footprint as compared to the population of other major cities and town, according to Blueprint America. This is pretty hard to believe, especially when you have lived in the city for about 16 years and then suddenly be placed in a newly renovated area with air that is much cleaner.

One of the major differences between a city like New York and a newer urban area like Tampa are the modes of transportation. In the city, there is no need at all for any sort of vehicle where as in Tampa, there is basically no survival without one since that would be the only way to get to work, school, or anywhere else for that matter: a classic example of sprawl. But as you can see below, New York City has a pretty complicated subway system.



Obviously, my hometown of Woodside mostly resembles the New York City as how it is displayed in Blueprint America, considering that Woodside is physically within the New York City limits.

Other than the whole underground subway system, there also numerous buses with even more complicated routes as well as the Long Island Rail Road, or the LIRR. There is also the train that runs above the ground, known as the 7 train. Below is a little showcase of the 7 train, which connects Manhattan to the Inner parts of Queens including Shea Stadium, home of the Mets, as well as Flushing, another big area of Queens.




Queens, along with most of the five boroughs, is stock full of apartment buildings, with buildings that get taller as you make their way into the city. The buildings are all structured differently for the most part, and most are made of the same dull-red colored bricks. Mostly everything you may ever need is basically within walking distance. And if not, there is always a subway or a bus almost on the same block as the one you live. These neighborhoods are extremely diverse. I could not see how any neightborhood in the entire world can possibly be any more diverse. There is a mix of different Asians, Hispanics, Middle Easterns, African Americans, and Caucasians within a one mile radius at most. In a community such as this, people are always out and about, day and night. It doesn't seem right to think about a New York that will always just keep to themselves. As NYC's Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik Khan mentioned, "New Yorkers are not known for their bashfulness."

Below is a picture of the newly renovated train station that was about 35 feet from my apartment in Woodside. It is the 74th Street Station.





Just like Duluth and Gainesville, there are the good and the bad to the city lifestyle. From crowded and roadways to extensive mass transit transportation to having hardly any green space, I would say that if one doesn't mind a community that is more fast-paced, then a place like Woodside would be perfect, as it is not in the middle of the city nor is it necessary to drive anywhere.

Hello, my name is Nicki Meyer. Like Sarah, i have moved around several times in my life and each place has had its similarities and differences. My most recent home was Gainesville, Florida. Gainesville is a great example of suburban sprawl. The main reason for this is its well known, predictable, traffic. There was never a single rush hour in Gainesville, it was an all day thing. One main road ran through the middle of town, Newberry Road. The mall, the University of Florida, all of the restaurants, and much more was on this connector road. Newberry road was the way to everywhere in Gainesville, no alternate routes.

The part of Gainesville I lived in is called Haile Plantation, a very young part of the city. This part of Gainesville would be considered somewhat traditional if the rest of the city was not taken into account. Everyone from retired couples, to new families with several children live in Haile. The diverse housing and living space makes it possible for people of all different situations to live there. There is a small village center only a half a mile away at most from all houses in Haile. In this village center, there are apartments and houses from all different price ranges. Also, there were many boutiques, a grocery store, a few restaurants, all of which are in brick buildings nicely blending with the surrounding areas, and also beautiful, outdoor parks with benches and fountains. In Haile it is very friendly and neighbor oriented. Unlike other parts of Gainesville, people know each other and it is very close- knit. Several walking and biking paths run through out Haile completely discouraging the use of automobiles, and encouraging exercise and being outdoors.










Though no schools or major shopping centers are a part of Haile Plantation, it still seems to fit more of a traditional community than suburban sprawl. There are no main roads "connectors" running through Haile at all, breaking down a lot of traffic, not to mention the many different routes that are available. Outside of Haile Plantation, driving is an absolute necessity. Gainesville is expanding everyday farther and farther out into the country, another characteristic of sprawl, while Haile Plantation remains small, quiet, and peaceful.

My Neighborhood of Duluth

Hello, my name is Sarah Chang. It’s hard to say I was raised in a specific place because I’ve lost count to all the times I’ve moved. On the other hand, if I had to call one place home, I would call Duluth, Georgia it. Duluth prides itself on its ability to accommodate a growing, diverse population in Metropolitan Atlanta while maintaining its small-town charm and sense of community. It was a traditional neighborhood where everything was a walking distance and this is still apparent through the Historic Downtown of Duluth. However as time passed, the town became a victim of urbanization and sprawl. The mass development throughout the city resulted in the widening of city borders and construction of newer and wider roads.

The new development attracted more people, increasing the population. This resulted in building more homes and shopping centers throughout the city. (pictured below – construction of the Asian market Hmart)

In fact, brand new condos were built last year, down the street from my neighborhood. With all the construction of buildings and new roads, things didn’t seem of walking distance anymore. As Suburban Nation stated, the code requirements for walls, ditches, and other buffers even nearby shopping is not reachable on foot.

An automobile is the primary transportation in Duluth. It is a necessity, on the contrary, the county Duluth lies in – Gwinnett – has a public transportation system called the Gwinnett Transit that goes from office buildings to shopping malls. It is more of like a bus or trolley than the Portland streetcar shown in the Blueprint America documentary.

All the homes in Duluth’s neighborhoods are completely divided by income. My specific neighborhood consists of middle class families. Outside of my neighborhood, there are houses of “lower-status”. Suburban Nation commented on the repulsion many citizens feel toward such communities, that the problem with gated communities is not the gate itself but what the gate encloses. The unity of society is threatened not by the use of gates but by the uniformity and exclusivity of the people behind them. Living in such a diverse community, I wouldn’t say there were any disputes over the topic specifically. However, in school, a variety of cliques would form according to the status of their families.

Though the city overall may be in sprawl, certain areas still have qualities of a traditional neighborhood, such like mine. My specific neighborhood, fairly new – maybe eight years old, can be traditional in that we have a community park which includes tennis courts and a swimming pool for families to spend their leisure time.

People can go to the historic downtown Duluth for a more traditional neighborhood. There are various restaurants, shopping stores, and a giant fountain and grassy land (pictured below) for a nice sunny day all within walking distance of each other.

And these shopping stores and restaurants…. are all lined on Main Street! (pictured below)

The sprawling of Duluth has its pros and cons. The wider roads and development of more shopping centers make it more convenient for the consistent growing of the population. Historic downtown Duluth gives the people a more comforting traditional neighborhood atmosphere. Overall, I agree with the claims made by the authors of Suburban Nation. Sprawl has taken over America’s cities, but even so, there is part of a traditional neighborhood in any community.