Planning a Sustainable Community in Downtown Gettysburg

Rebecca L. Croog, Gettysburg College
Hannah Ehrmann, Gettysburg College
Athena L. Mandros, Gettysburg College
Jessica L. Zupancic, Gettysburg College
Michaela A. Sweeney, Gettysburg College
Randall K. Wilson, Gettysburg College

This presentation was given at the Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida, April 8-12, 2014.

Abstract

In recent decades, the growth of urban forestry has brought greater attention to the role of trees in mitigating a range of urban air pollutants, reducing storm water runoff, increasing wildlife habitat and boosting the aesthetic qualities of urban environments. Concurrently, the emergence of “new urbanism” in city planning has encouraged projects that enhance the “walkability” or “liveability” of towns and cities. Taken together, these trends speak to the importance of designing more sustainable communities, places which take into account both the ecological and socio-economic impacts of development. This project offers a sustainable urban redevelopment plan for selected parcels in downtown Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Using urban forestry tools designed by i-Tree in combination with Community Viz planning software, the proposed plan was designed and assessed according to a range of ecological and socio-economic indicators in order to enhance the sustainable characteristics of an urban neighborhood.