Letter to the editor

Virginia Business
August 2005

To the Editor,
Not only is smart growth a great way to start controlling some of the traffic in Fairfax County (“Fairfax’s answer to sprawl,” May issue), it is a great way to encourage people to start looking at their community from an environmentally friendly point of view. While Fairfax County is encouraging growth around the Metro stations, it should also consider bike paths and tax benefits for using more environmentally friendly forms of transportation.

Two amazing cities that come to mind when talking about smart growth are Curitiba, Brazil, (one of Latin America’s most livable cities) and Chattanooga, Tenn., (in the 1950s it was known as one of the dirtiest cities in the U.S.). Both cities are not focused on the use of the automobile. They are designed to support environmentally sustainable living. As urban development will inevitably increase in Fairfax County, our environment should be on everyone’s mind.

Patty Hannigan
Vice president of marketing
Triple-EDGE
Clifton