Patrick Barron

I am Patrick Barron from Annandale, Virginia. I live in a suburb of Washington D.C. My neighborhood fits the definition of suburban sprawl as defined in Suburban Nation. There are a few main roads that lead to the points of interests such as shopping centers, schools, and highways. The neighborhood is made up of many winding and intersecting roads full of similar housing. The houses are single family homes that have the same basic architectural design. The income level of all the neighborhood residents are similar and there is a mixture of different ages and ethnicities. People usually keep to themselves so the neighborhood isn't really a tight-knit community. Although most residents have their own cars for transportation, there is public transportation available such as buses and subways.

Personally I like the neighborhood but can see the angle that Duany, Plater-Zyberk, and Speck are coming from. I have sat in traffic before and have seen out congested it can get. On the other hand I also like the privacy my family and I are able to achieve by owning our own home and yard. I like the idea of living in one place and the schools and shopping centers in another. Everything is withing biking distance for me so I don't have to use the car every time I need something. I don't think my neighborhood can be made any more livable, I like it the way it is.