Green - 11/12/22

    Modern cities are built for the benefit of cars and industry rather than the individual, and nowhere have I seen this to be more evident than while living in Newport News and Stafford. I come from Stafford in NOVA, known only for its proximity to Fredericksburg. Both places have the occasional walking trail, but you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere universally “pretty” to live or walk in. 

    Stafford consists of suburban neighborhoods and strips with a Taco Bell and 5 Below. There is nothing in terms of culture and generally, the buildings put all of their work into the front with flat sides and backs devoid of detail. I always found myself troubled by this, how other countries put love and craftsmanship into every piece of architecture no matter how minute, but ours are made to be quick and convenient. Newport News, in this regard, is on the same plane as Stafford.

    If you want to find an urban or suburban area that is enjoyable to walk around, you must specifically use buzz-words such as “walkable”, else you’ll end up in another cardboard cutout standee town. I have often researched living in Europe for this very reason. These little specks in America are so uninspired and sadden me. Why have we shifted our focus to something so temporary? Perhaps this is indicative of our larger opinions on infrastructure and environmentalism as a culture. Perhaps this is the new “style”, I wish it wasn’t.

    Where do you find places in America that embody Arcadia? Where can you live but in bulldozed farmland miles from the nearest hospital, or a copy-pasted shack built to survive no more than a light breeze? Where are the homes with good bones? Where are the places with roots and soul?


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