Natalie Hinderliter- Class Reading 3- Urban Growth

 As I've grown older, I've begun to notice more of how certain cities and urban areas are constructed. How some cities, take Savannah Georgia for example, are easily navigated on foot and how others seem to involve trials and tribulations to navigate, take for example San Antonio Texas. What is so different about these cities? What core characteristics make one easier to navigate as a pedestrian? According to the textbook, perhaps that most important aspect is planning. The book asserts that urbanization can be beneficial to minimizing each individual person's impact on the environment when executed properly, mainly with sustainability in mind. One of the benefits of cities, is that they decrease the amount of driving each person needs to do. However, these benefits are offset when cities are constructed without walkability in mind. This not only increases the amount of emissions from cars and disincentivizes walking, but it also creates more non-porous surfaces that cause more urban runoff of rain water. To combat these negative externalities, urban planners should aim to work more closely with environmentalists as well as human rights groups to ensure that all relevant parties have a say in urban design.