In a world today of immense1 technology, population growth and economic flourish, planning for future residential and commercial developments needs careful analysis with well thought through assumptions about effects on the environment and the people of the community.

One example of a growing city, residentially and commercially, is Wooster, Ohio, my place of residency. Wooster in the last five years has grown considerably in population, leading to a growth in commercial business. Surrounded by farmland, Wooster's planning commission chose to extend the community into these farm areas in the form of residential and commercial areas.

Picture this--a quiet, peaceful, old farmhouse with a barn, fixed appropriately on the outskirts of a city of about twenty thousand. Corn fields, old trees, clean air, country roads, and wildlife are all part of the area. Within four years, the people living on this farm step outside on their front porch to view an extensive shopping center containing Wal-Mart, JC Penny, Elder-Beerman's, Lowe's, McDonalds, Wendy's, TCBY, and a Cinemark movie theater.

The once quiet road is now a city street with traffic lights, busy with automobiles day and evening. The air smells of car exhaust and fast food.

Some destruction of farm land is unavoidable when a city expands.Instead of expanding outward, planning commissions should consider interior remodeling of a city. Tearing down unusable buildings could remodel many areas inside the city. In addition, commercialized buildings could extend upwards to avoid unnecessary use of land.

I also question the necessity of these commercial businesses. For example, Wooster now has three McDonalds, two Wendy's, two Hardy's, Burger King and a Taco Bell. In a town of twenty thousand people, this many fast food restaurants seem extremely unnecessary. When a community is introduced to a large amount of nationwide commercial businesses, the community loses its uniqueness, loses small private owned businesses, and becomes a mirror image of every other average city.

Environmentally, commercial expansion is detrimental to the land. Besides forms of pollution, wildlife, including both plants and animals, is put at risk.

A 300-year-old oak tree was cut down in 1994 in the north end of Wooster so a street could be widened. A planning commission could realize the benefits of an historic tree and refuse to allow its destruction. Why not retain the beauty and naturalness of the land while at the same time allowing for growth?

Many developments of homes have been established in the past five years in Wooster. These homes are similar in style, causing a uniformity in appearance of new neighborhoods. Planning commissions should avoid uniformity in neighborhoods and allow for a combination of styles for homes.

　　Many older homes located in downtown areas that have become decrepit could be replaced by newer homes, thus saving the surrounding farmland and trees. With the transition from old, run-down homes to contemporary homes, the city as whole would be improved in appearance and cleanliness. Neglecting what a community already has is a factor in planning that should change.

With a steady growth of population and the need for more homes and more work places, many problems arise when planning for the future. The hillsides, fields, animal habitats and forests need to be preserved while expanding cities. In the future, a world covered with concrete and asphalt could become reality. Serious research and analysis are needed when planning for the future of our home communities and for the entire globe to avoid such a tragedy.
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