Urban sprawl Essay -- essays research papers

This Halloween, Sean Clancy had the most original vesture in his southern Pennsylvania neighborhood. The invertebrate foot layer of his costume wasnt very exciting at all- a flannel shirt, jeans and boots. However, the next layer really made Clancys costume memorable. He tucked a street sign into his belt and wrapped a GAP bag from his left pocket. He hung a reverse rump from his thigh and pinned a Sunoco gas rebate banner on his right knee. A KFC sign was just above his left knee, and Clancys mask was a US road atlas. Even among all the goblins, ghouls, ghosts, and churchman of the Rings characters, Clancy was the scariest creature of them all. Urban Sprawl.Since the emergence of prefabricated housing in preplanned neighborhoods in the 1950s, the Pleasantville ethic has brought much than half(a) of the countrys population to the suburbs. exclusively while the suburban value system has amend the grapheme of our lives, it has tarnished the quality of our character. This t rend of modernization was recognized by Henry David Thoreau more than a century ago, when he wrote that While society has been improving our homes, it has not improved the men who are to inhabit them. It has created palaces, but it has not been so alert to create noblemen and kings. It seems that todays kings and queens lord over backyard bar-b-qs, and devil in SUV chariots. But the purpose of this speech isnt to criticize these kings and queens. What I chance on issue with is the society that devises them royalty. Herein lies the problem Our society has begin to idealize a destructive vision of the American way of conductone that puts up white picket fences to keep out our neighbors. or else than valuing what the suburbs used to stand forcommunity and opportunitynow we first, embrace isolation, and south endorse exclusion.Clancys roadmap Halloween mask may have been cleverbut it was probably useless. Roads connecting the suburbs to other locations spring up so fast, maps ca nt keep up. Many parts of the country lack popular transportation that would integrate our communities rather than isolate them. According to the April 28, 2002 New York time Magazine, In most parts of the country, people now spend more on transportation than on medical care, education, clothing and entertainment- combined. In Atlanta, the average out person wa... ... cant change the ours in the work hebdomad or even our commute we can take the time to make time to spend with our family and friends.Getting beyond isolation is only half the solution. Perhaps most importantly, we need to start needing the well-being of others as integral to our own well being. Being part of a community doesnt mean just reaping its benefits. It means accepting that one of our responsibilities is to consider the well-being of those around us. As individuals, we need to start thinking of ourselves as part of a community, and acting knowing that what we do affects those around us. Our sit lifestyle simply means thatlike it or notweve hypertrophied our communities and increased the lives we effect with our actions. Pursue luxury and the American dream, but take ownership of its impacts. For the not-so-huddled masses of suburbia, theres still something appealing closely the white picket fences, the 2.2 kids, golden retrievers and even the distinguished title of soccer mom. Granted, giving up the SUV may disqualify us for membership in the manly fraternity of Those Who Haul Things, but through interconnectedness and diversity, it bequeath make us better neighbors.