Solution to Sprawl Back Home

Most of my blogs have focused on the city of Atlanta, but I thought for my final one I would focus on my hometown of Charleston, SC. The city has grown greatly over the past ten years especially in the community of Summerville (Dorchester County), which is about 30 minutes outside of Charleston. Local Summerville High School had grown so much that two brand new high schools were built three years ago to accommodate the growth. Most of the neighborhoods are examples of sprawl, but the housing is much cheaper in Dorchester County compared to most of Charleston County.

The "Charleston Real Estate Blog" addressed the issue of sprawl in a post from last year. The blogger, Howard Arnoff, illustrates that the main traffic problems in Charleston are because of the sprawl affecting the suburbs around Charleston. The state has been working on expanding the lanes on I-26 to reduce traffic, but the work hasn't been finished making the commute even longer. Even though adding lanes may help the traffic; however, according to Suburban Nation, adding lanes makes traffic worse. "Building more highways and widening existing roads... does nothing to reduce traffic. In the long run it actually increases traffic" (88). As traffic gets better for the commuters, more people will drive to work or move to the suburbs and gradually create the same heavy traffic problems as in the past.

-Chris P.

Sprawl in the AJC

As we have learned in this class, Atlanta is a sprawling city and the suburbs are mostly to blame. As new developments are constructed outside the city, more people are moving to this city. Traffic problems, overcrowding, and non-environmentally friendly communities are created with the sprawl. I found an article recently published by Jay Bookman in the "Atlanta Journal Constitution" about how he believes that "sprawl has passed into history" in the Atlanta area.

Bookman adds a statistic in his blog on how from "July 2000 to July 2008, six of the 15 fastest growing counties in the country could be found here in the 28-county Atlanta metro region." Atlanta was sprawling out of control until the recession hit and new developments planning came to a stand still. Atlanta's suburbs are not growing nearly as fast anymore and Bookman believes that younger people moving to Atlanta are more attracted to living in the city rather than living outside of the city. He also thinks that the job creation in Atlanta was "already a myth more than a reality." I find that to be an interesting point because I am apart of this younger generation and I would much rather live in the suburbs than the in the city. I enjoy being in the heart of Atlanta here at Tech, but our campus is being constantly patrolled by Campus Police, so I feel very safe. When I am off campus, I travel with large groups when I go places. I would not have that luxury if I lived off campus with two or three roommates.

The sprawl that has affected Atlanta has not been good for the city, but I find the suburbs to be relaxing and more tight knit than a city. If the region can work to redesign more environmentally friendly areas in sprawling developments, then the problem of sprawl could be improved.

-Chris P.

Oxford vs. Atlanta

My single favorite day of the entire year is Thanksgiving day. This is the case for many reasons: there is no focus on material possessions as is the case with Christmas and I am surrounded by the people I love. One of those people is my cousin, Katy, who lives in Oxford, Mississippi. She attends college at Ole Miss and will graduate at the end of this semester. Every time we get together we have the best time, but there are always differences that I notice. Honestly, I probably started noticing these differences in the first place when I was growing up wanting to be just like her. Differences in our sense of style, social arenas, vocabulary, and more. As i have gotten older, I have attributed many of these differences to the places in which we are currently 'growing up.'
I know that these are hugely generalized opinions based off one person from that city, so these are strictly observations. Oxford's clothing style, along with any other city, is ultimately dictated by the weather, available fashion, and the people that live there. From pictures I have seen of Katy and her friends, their style seems more casual and loose than Atlanta's style. Katy's diction is different than mine not only from the slightly thicker southern accent but also some specific words that pepper their sentences and not mine. Also, since Atlanta has an obscene amount of things to do, the small town of Oxford has far fewer options for social interactions. While many students at Georgia Tech go out to restaurants, bars, shows, movies, or shopping, most Ole Miss students are limited to a few regular restaurants and bars on the weekends. This is just another example of how "place" affects so many aspects of our life!

Community Business Problem

New shopping centers and restaurants are nice additions to a community in some ways. It's a neat to have a new selection of shops and places to eat, but other older businesses lose customers and they cannot compete. Think of the local hardware store in a small town that has been running for almost 100 years and Wal-Mart opens a store just a few miles outside the town. People flock to Wal-Mart, which kills the local store's business and they eventually shut down. I looked at the blog "Sprawled Out", and in the city of Franklin, Wisconsin, restaurants are shutting down and the blogger addresses a specific one across from a Northwestern Mutual Campus. Even with hundreds of people working across the street from the restaurant, it still could not stay open. New choices for dining and shopping and the poor placement of the old restaurants and shops has led to the closing of a few local businesses.

The blogger feels like his community is no longer embracing local business anymore and he finds that frustrating. He illustrates his point by saying, "The former Sentry grocery store, a huge building, is vacant. Walgreens next door is threatening to tear it down to facilitate a drive-thru window." It has become a huge problem across the United States and the destruction of local business is here to stay until something is done about it.

-Chris P.

Addressing the Dekalb County Problem

As I learn more about the different communities around Atlanta, I am finding that some of the sprawling developments are becoming conscious of their problem. Decatur has some sprawling neighborhoods and the blog I read, "December Atlanta Regional Housing Forum," addresses how Decatur wants to create sustainability in the community. The area is recognizing that they need to control the sprawl in Decatur, but in Dekalb County as well. For the meeting the community is bringing in the "Director of Livable Communities Coalition" to speak on the issues. It would be easy for Dekalb county to put an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on the issue, but they want to answer questions and inform the interested public on the issue.

The suburbs of Atlanta are known for having sprawling developments and are causing many problems with the environment. Decatur has done well by having a MARTA station that can take people into downtown without driving. The city needs to encourage more people to ride the MARTA to work to reduce the amount of cars on the road to help with the traffic problem. For the neighborhood and shopping center sprawl, the city needs to find a way to create a community like the Virginia Highland's where most of the essentials are within walking distance.

-Chris P.

Uncarved Pumpkins

Last week I had a huge Differential Equations test on Wednesday, and naturally the morning of I fell asleep around 3 am reading over my notes, ran out of gas on my way to school, and lost my credit card somewhere between the gas station and class. I barely had room in my worried brain for integration and phase portraits by the time the test came. Anyway, I got through the test, cancelled my credit card, and ordered a new one. Yesterday I drove home to Marietta to get my new card, and I was noticing the halloween decorations in my neighborhood. Even though my parents' decorating ceased when I moved out, I noticed massive, human-sized spiders crawling up cotton webs strung from the porches. There were detailed jackolanterns and halloween lights amidst homes that were made into small stages of haunted scenes. I have never really noticed the intricate detail of the suburbian holiday decorations, probably since I was constantly surrounded by them growing up, until I began to see the drastically unimpressive attempts at pumpkins and other halloween decorations that adorned the homes in buckhead.
I LOVE carving pumpkins, and Ididn't get to this year because I was so busy the week prior to the spookiest day of the year, so my boyfriend planned on carving them last night to appease me and drove to five different places to get the discounted pumpkins. There were none! Our date failed, but as we drove around I saw plenty of uncarved, perfectly plump pumpkins which could have served a far greater purpose than just sitting on porches~ uncarved!
Anyway, moral of the story, I couldn't believe the difference between the pathetic decorations of the city and the extravagant scenes put on for halloween by the suburbs. I think it may be contributed to the strong emphasis on family and children in the suburbs. No family with small children would ever get away with uncarved pumpkins. It is interesting how the overall demographic of areas such as the suburbs and the city affect so many aspects of life including details down to the small decorations of a not-even-national holiday.

Joe Swings That Way

Atlanta's Midtown neighborhood is famous for its wide variety restaurants and thriving nightlife. I know this to be true from finding places to go on dates with my girlfriend. As many couples know, deciding on a place to go can be more of a journey then actually going there. Trying new places is always a great alternative because you never know what kinds of surprises are in store for you.

One such evening after much deliberation, my girlfriend Katie decides she wants to take me to a bar and grill by the name of Joe's On Juniper. She had been a few times with her girlfriends and never really told me what kind of place it was. But a bar and grill is probably just like all the rest.

This place is not like all the rest. When I walked in everything seemed normal: sports-themed decorations, beer paraphernalia, and several TV's showing every game on at any given time. Also, it was filled a bunch of dudes. Totally normal. However, Joe's was filled a BUNCH of dudes. In fact, my girlfriend was one of only three girls at this place. Odd.

I finally get it after the well-groomed, soft-voiced waiter takes my order and finishes with "It'll be right out, sweetie." I was in a gay bar. I have no prejudice against homosexuality at all, I was just flat out surprised. Katie immediately notices my epiphany because it fuels her devilish grin. She tricked me into going to a gay bar.

To be honest, Joe's On Juniper is great bar. It has everything: great food, especially for a bar, the sports-themed atmosphere you expect, exceptional service, and friendly regulars who are sure to have something interesting to say. Joe's truly represents the diverse, open-minded, and all-around friendly side of Atlanta.

Sprawl's Influence

As I read the "Terminal Station" blog, I looked for underlying views relating to the author's opinion on sprawl or traditional neighborhoods. While the blog is "about Atlanta real estate and politics. And occasionally [his] puppydog," and this post was written specifically about an article listing Atlanta as the 13th best city to live in in the U.S., there were many references to King's (the author's) opinion on sprawl. After reading about Atlanta's mediocre results, he begins to admit that some of the higher ranked cities have advantages in things such as industry,infrastructure, and environment. For example, Denver has the Rockies and a superbly designed infrastructure and NYC (ranked #1) assuredly has industrial advantages over Atlanta. After King mentions these shortcomings of Atlanta, he insists that Atlanta, despite it's lack of walkability, lack of natural environmental attraction, and slight deficit in industry, the real reason we are behind 12 other cities is because of our "inept leadership over the last two decades." He says that Atlanta should have been "cultivating a stronger walkable core with more alternative transportation," almost directly quoting Duany, Plater-Zyberk, and Speck on the most important positive aspect of a traditional neighborhood. Here a blogger who set out to write about the sub-par politics of Atlanta actually perfectly described, in totality, the disadvantages of living in sprawl. I believe I underestimate the influence sprawl has on my life as well as the lives of the people around me.

Short but Effective

Since I have chosen many blogs related to the City of Atlanta, I thought I would change to a new place. I found a blog ("Sprawled Out") dealing with the town of Franklin, Wisconsin and the sprawl affecting their community. Unbeknownst to me, but Wednesday was International Walk to School Day. The blogger addressed how his community could not participate in this event because the town was "sprawled out" (see picture above on the left). The blog was effective in getting across its point because it was short and to the point. If a casual reader is going through the site and sees a short blog, they are likely to read it. The blogger starts by writing, "Today is International Walk to School Day. But not in Franklin, Wisconsin, where nearby is still far away." The last part of the sentence is an example of a logical appeal because it is stating a fact about the town. The author claims schools, businesses, and other places are not within walking distance making driving a necessity. He also provides a link to another blog showing how is community is not walker friendly (Below).


The blogger creates visual appeals as well to illustrate the society he lives in. The caption for the picture is "Would you let your child walk this gauntlet to school, even if it's only 1000 yards." Also the title of the blog is,"The County Sheriff has determined that all of Franklin School District is in an unusually hazardous transportation area." The blogger provides great evidence to back up his point that his community is not walker friendly and even hazardous. Sprawl has deeply affected his town and he is worried about it spreading even more. His blog is catchy and the links he provides backs up his short and simple point very effectively.

-Chris P.

"Sprawled Out" And Their Ideal Community

The search for the idea community splits between sprawl and traditional neighborhoods. While businesses have been exploiting suburban areas for a quick profit, traditional neighborhoods are left in the dust. Sprawled Out competently describes their own idea of what a neighborhood should be through its interesting multimodal blog posts. For example, the most recent post discusses the idea of converting old strip malls into traditional neighborhoods and uses a detailed flow chart to visually show how the new infrastructure will be affected. Convincing pictures and links to other sites keep the reader interested and well-informed. Videos are an effective tool for getting a point across, and Sprawled Out does a great job using them, from demonstrating the effects of sprawl to broadcasting an interview with an expert. Blogs such as Sprawled Out are multimodal documents that use interesting ways to convey information in order to inform the reader in ways never though possible.

-Travis Turner

Doraville Community Problem

I chose the blog for the City of Doraville. The city recently had a meeting about a proposed plan on some land known as the "GM Property." I assume the GM property is a vacant car lot, but I am sure if the reader is a local resident, they will probably know of the GM Property. Dekalb county, where Doraville is located, wants to put a football stadium for the Falcons on the property. The blog is telling the residents of Doraville to go to the town meeting and vote against the football stadium. The blogger supplies a quote from a concerned member of the Doraville community about how the stadium would damage the city. The lady had seen it happen to Gwinnett County with the "Baby Braves Stadium" and how it has cause many traffic problems in the city. The quote is very convincing and provides great evidence against the city. Some of the members do not want their city to become congested and heavily traveled. Many probably enjoy the quiet and the "out of the city" feel of their community. Those qualities would be in jeopardy with the new stadium. The blogger used text, quotes, and a youtube clip to help express his point. The multimodal elements of this blog help back the bloggers point up and it makes it convincing.

-Chris P.

Library Resources

Thanks to the instructions of Ms. Brown, I was able to search the articles through the Georgia Tech Library Website for anything relating to urban sprawl. I wanted to find something that was written about the direct effects of urban sprawl on the surrounding environment. This article published in The West Australian illuminates the common problem of sprawl on the existing animal and plant life of a particular area. It references Jane Goodall and stories she had heard about lizards crossing five lanes of traffic which used to be their home plush with plant life. This is obviously a problem that occurs wherever sprawl happens, and I believe it is one of the problems that Suburban Nation does not capitalize on sufficiently. This aspect of destruction by sprawl should be much more publicized.

Atlantic Station Helping to Slow Down Sprawl

Searched for "Atlanta Sprawl" on Georgia Tech Library website.
http://gtsearch.library.gatech.edu/search/metasearch/record?group=001638&resultSet=009715&startRecord=2

Since our class is on the subject of sprawl around Atlanta, I chose an article called "Bringing the Community to the City," which is about the Atlantic Station community. The article starts with a quote from a Georgia Tech grad, Jean Hee Park, who lives in the Atlantic Station community. Her explanation of her community fits the Suburban Nation definition of the traditional community. This area, just outside the heart of Atlanta, has apartments and condominiums above the abundance of restaurants and shops. All the essentials like a grocery store, schools, and parks are all close and within walking distance. This article explains that even though this is a new community, it can still represent a traditional neighborhood. Also, Atlantic Station has become very popular as a place to live and a place to play. The residents vary in age from the recent Georgia Tech grad to some older retirees. Many more developers are realizing that people want to live in these areas rather than the sprawling communities. The developers can benefit from the residential properties, but the commercial properties as well. The article discusses how some other Atlanta communities are trying to follow the Atlantic Station design and hope to slow down the spread of sprawl and encourage traditional living settings.

-Chris P.

The Cost Of Sprawl

According to a July 2006 article in American City and County, Atlanta has the most expensive yearly commute per citizen. Although much of the increasing commute costs can be attributed to the rising cost of oil, Atlanta took the lead because of its notorious sprawl. The sprawled out design of Atlanta forces most commuters to drive over 60 miles per day. The average yearly commute for Atlantans cost over $5,700, approximately $300 more per year than the next city. Sprawl is a real problem with real, tangible costs.

-Travis Turner

Another Look at Midtown

As I sit in my midtown apartment writing this, the day is cloudy and dull, but I still enjoy the skyline view as a backdrop. I live in an apartment directly above a Publix, several trendy restaurants, a dry cleaners, a nail salon, and several other conveniences. In Suburban Nation the authors stress the importance of 'walkability.' Midtown is the quintessential community for easy navigation on foot. There are sidewalks throughout, bike trails, and intermingled commercial and residential real estate.
The convenience aspect of this neighborhood is obviously a large contributing factor in making Midtown an incredible place to live, but the existing residents that make up the character of Midtown are the true jewels. The people that live in my building are mostly young working adults, and I have yet to meet one that wasn't simply delightful to be around. My neighbors are driven, chic, creative, and accommodating. For example, I have not stepped into the elevator without a smile and greeting from someone who was already inside. Also, a group of residents have formed a social committee, and they host events such as dance parties at our apartment pool every few weeks. At the last pool party the residents were provided with a flamboyant techno mix and a cooler of drinks to refresh them on such a warm day.
So you see, it is not only the proximity to everything you could need or want on a daily basis, but the people that form the beautiful heart of Midtown which sits at the core of such a sprawling city.

Bobby Jones Golf Club

Just off 401 and Northside Drive or Peachtree Road is Bobby Jones Golf Course, a city maintained public course located on the outskirts of Buckhead. It is a relatively easy course that gets a good amount of play, especially on holidays and weekends. The neighborhood surrounding this golf course has middle class home that are different styles with big yards that are well landscaped and maintained. These beautiful homes with large yards are not very common in an area about ten minutes outside of the city. The people who live in this area seem to enjoy where they live because there were not very many for sale signs out in yards when I visited. Not a walking friendly neighborhood when it comes to sidewalks because there none, but the roads are wide for those exercisers.

This neighborhood fits my criteria in some ways and it doesn't in other ways. My perfect neighborhood would consist of middle class houses with good-sized yards, clean, kid friendly, surrounded by safe areas, and not heavily travelled. The first two parts of my criteria would definitely fit this neighborhood. There are a nice array of houses and no "mcmansions" in this neighborhood. The worries I have about this neighborhood is the possible traffic in and out from the golf course, no sidewalks for safe kid biking or exercising, and nearby areas are run-down. The traffic headed to and from the golf course makes the neighborhood busy and possibly unsafe for kids. If someone is late to there tee-time, they may be more likely to speed through the neighborhood, making it unsafe for exercise and kids playing around. A few miles down the street from Bobby Jones is some poorly maintained areas. More crime is likely to emerge from these areas, which may lead to car/home break-ins. With a good security system and a good eye on your kids, the Bobby Jones Golf Course area is very nice and would be a good family neighborhood.

-Chris P.

Introducing: Midtown Atlanta

Located comfortably between Buckhead and Downtown is a unique type of neighborhood. Midtown is bounded by I-75, North Avenue, and Monroe Drive. It includes several of the most famous buildings and skyscrapers in Atlanta, and many of them share street space with small residential houses. It is often considered to be the center for arts and a popular nightlife destination. Midtown is more than just a chic, affluent neighborhood; it's the energetic soul of Atlanta.

Such a place meets and exceeds the personal criteria I look for in a good place to live. It is pedestrian- and bike- friendly, with wide sidewalks and abundant bike lanes. The special blend of new and old architecture invokes character you cannot find in other neighborhoods. The mixture of residential and commercial buildings adds convenience to those on foot. Nothing feels out of reach when strolling the streets of Midtown. Certain features, such as the interesting destinations and comfortable aura surrounding the place forces me to rethink my criteria. Everything about the area adds to the argument that sprawl creates bad places to live.

-Travis Turner

Conclusion: Atlanta is not the true southern city

I read the blog, Is Atlanta Southern, and the blogger wants to prove that Atlanta is still a southern city. A typical southern city has sweet tea, southern accents, unique dress (seersucker and plaid clothes during the summer), and friendly people. The blogger believes that Atlanta has those qualities above, even though many of his co-workers disagreed. His co-workers felt that the old Atlanta has left and a new metropolitan city that has lost most of its southern roots. The blogger gave examples of why Atlanta is southern to him. He has lived in the south all of his life and notices the many the typical “southern clad” men flocking out of church on Sunday morning. He also notices the friendly people around the city who love to say “y’all”. He does not believe that all of Atlanta has the southern feel, but there are “pockets” of the old Atlanta still left. Obviously the blogger feels very passionate about Atlanta being a southern city and he wants some people to back him up. He tries to stir up some questions at the end by saying, “What do you think? What Makes a town southern anyway...? He only has one response to his blog and the reader feels the same way the bloggers co-workers do. The reader feels that even though Atlanta has sweet tea, it is not a typical southern city.

-Chris P.

For A Greener Atlanta

In recent years, people have taken a new interest in alternative forms of transportation in order to avoid traffic and help the environment out a little bit. Some people have even blogged about it. One such blog is Atlanta Unsheltered. The authors share a similar interest in promoting a greener Atlanta, which is understandable because everyone wants to improve the place where they live. The authors probably hope to ignite change in their living environment and persuade others to do the same.

Recently the blog has been sizing up the new mayoral candidates for their eagerness to make Atlanta a greener and more people-friendly place to live. Although all of the candidates try to connect with the citizens by promoting MARTA and other alternatives to driving, they have all been revealed as hypocrites because they live in suburbs surrounding the city and drive everywhere. This makes it obvious why Atlanta is so notorious for its traffic problems and sub par MARTA system compared to other cities.

But they are also positive in promoting new ideas for change. Need a reason to carpool? The Georgia Clean Air Campaign has a good one:



-Travis Turner

A Labor of Love

I recently read another blog, The Blissful Glutton, and tried to recover the reasons why this blogger chose to write about his/her community. First, I simply noticed that there were hardly any negative words, connotations, or thoughts in any entry throughout the blog. So, not only has the blogger decided to dedicate her time to a blog about her neighborhood menu, but she seems to be ever positive in reviewing these various cuisines. It is difficult for me to believe that every restaurant in atlanta has a "particularly noteworthy" menu. She does, however, imply disgust with stinging sarcastic comments. For example, she reviewed a sandwich that consisted of two fried chicken fillets (used as buns), cheese, bacon, and sauce. While it would be extremely difficult to positively describe this stack of saturated fat, this blogger did an astonishing job. Although she did not support the not-so-weightwatchers-friendly sandwich, she did not completely discount the interesting items that made up the dish, let alone the entire idea of replacing bread with fried chicken fillets. This constantly upbeat attitude perfectly exemplifies the true love the blogger feels for the metro Atlanta menu.
While not nearly everything I consume in Atlanta is delicious or served in a restaurant covered in a "delightfully trippy assortment of posters," I sincerely appreciate the ever so optimistic attitude. Why write about something you hate? The Blissful Glutton is a true labor of love.

Living in Paradise, but is it Sprawl?

The summer before my sophomore year, my family and I packed up our stuff from North Carolina and moved to Seabrook Island, SC. Seabrook is on the coast about 35 minutes outside of Charleston and next door to the more well-known Kiawah Island. About 50 years ago Seabrook Island was nothing but wide open land and uninhabited beach. Only a few locals lived near there and there was probably a private dirt road that led out to the beach. Today Seabrook and Kiawah Island are major vacation and popular retirement spots. Unlike the Denver community mentioned in Blueprint America, Kiawah and Seabrook are not examples of sprawl.

The homes are not packed into a small plot of land, but rather spread out across several miles of land. Kiawah is known for its huge houses and very comfortable condos, with most of those properties being second or maybe third homes. Seabrook is more of an upscale residential community, but is much cheaper to live on than Kiawah. Seabrook is very environmentally friendly because of its restrictions on street lighting and tree removal. Trees and wildlife are abundant and Seabrook has a nickname of "The Nature Preserve". There are very few homes that are modeled after each other on the Island and only condos look similar to one another. Most of the people who live there full-time are retirees, and only a few families live on the island. It is a community that is split between tight-knit and separated. Some people choose to be involved in the community and some choose to keep to themselves. There is no public transportation out where I live so driving is a must if you want to head into Charleston. There is an upscale shopping center with a grocery store 5 minutes from my house, some residents bike to it rather than drive thanks to bike paths around the island. There are only a few restaurants within a 10 mile radius of my house as well. Fortunately Seabrook is not a heavily populated area and accidents and heavy weather are the only causes of traffic and are rare. It is a beautiful area and not an example of sprawl. About 45 min northwest of Charleston is the City of Summerville. Once a small town, but now an infested area with many examples of sprawl in this now overcrowded area.

None of the areas talked about in the documentary Blueprint America, are similar to the area I live in. It would be Portland, if anything, because of the green and spread out space and the nice, not overpopulated community. I really like aspects of both the Portland and Denver communities. I like the environmentally friendly and easy public transportation systems Portland offers. It makes people less dependent on cars, which means less pollution. The Denver community is unique because I like the suburban feel of a community. I lived in a tight knit, middle class community when I lived in Davidson, NC. I loved having neighbors with children because there was always something going on. I never had to commute into Charlotte and deal with traffic, but my mom did. The Denver community probably would not be as appealing for her. The family that was interviewed from Denver, knew that their neighborhood was great for families even though it made the commute harder for the husband. It is a sacrifice that he was willing to make. I feel that sprawl is not a bad thing if it is controlled and green suburban communities are created.

-Chris P.

A More Bitter Side To The Story

On the other hand, I spent a large part of my childhood in Alpharetta, in the area now known as the "City" of Milton. There, horses challenge humans for majority population. Everyone lives in a typical sprawl type subdivision as described in Suburban Nation. However, Alpharetta subdivisions are sprawled out over even more land because of the multitude of horse farms throughout the country. One could argue that the horse farms add a sense of traditional charm to the area.

Until you drive ten miles to the nearest strip mall for any need. The increase in sprawl area only further separates the aspects of a traditional neighborhood. I could not walk anywhere. And the narrow, fast country roads were too dangerous to even think about biking on. The interstate was about twenty minutes away from anyone's house, and then commuters had to deal with GA-400 traffic after that. The nearest bus stop was not worth the drive to get to it.

Living in Alpharetta, and especially Milton, forces everyone to own a car, which seems to be no problem due to the higher income of the area. Mercedes are BMW are the standard. Rich people like to show it everywhere they go. The houses often exceed one million dollars in price and accumulate behind elitist password-protected gatehouses. The houses sure look nice, but they all look the same. But the neighborhoods are empty. There are children, but they never play outside. Sidewalks are useless lanes of concrete. It's common to feel alone in such a place. And inevitable to die without a car.

-Travis Turner

Sweet Sprawl

In eighth grade I helped roll my piano down our driveway, across the street, and into the house I used to look at from my bedroom window. My family decided to move across the street when I was 14, so I lived in the same neighborhood (simply different houses) for the last 10 years of my life. It is a standard suburban neighborhood that would perfectly describe suburban sprawl. However, many of the negative connotations described in Blueprint America do not apply. Each house had a distinct personality of it's own. Also, we were within walking distance to business developments, and one man who lived in my neighborhood ran to and from work at Kennestone Hospital everyday, although he was the only one. Overall, despite our convenient proximity to shops and businesses (and our distance from any single mode of public transportation), every family had a car, if not several. Another small discrepancy between my neighborhood and the stereotypical model of sprawl is that my community wasn't sandwiched between other similar neighborhoods; it was surrounded by Kennesaw Mountain National Park which provided nearby memorials, walking trails, thousands of deer and coyotes, and a gorgeous back yard in which to grow up. The neighborhood is full of mostly middle to upper class families with children of all ages. I made great friends growing up, and our next door neighbors are over all the time for dinner with my parents. Although my neighborhood would be so insensitively described as sprawl, I will never think of it as a character starved, cookie cutter community built solely for the expansion of Atlanta; it is home to me.