Even though Fairmont is a lot like the sprawl in Martin's Chapel in terms of "cookie-cutter" houses, winding roads, trees bordering neighborhood, and numerous deadend cul-de-sacs, there is a large sense of community because it is so close to Dacula. While most of the residential housing in Dacula is suburban sprawl, Dacula itself has qualities that make it feel like the center of traditional neighborhood with shops, restaurants, grocery stores, churches, schools, parks, and government buildings. Dacula is very strong on tradition and community involvement through schools and churches, so there is always something going on. Also, when you leave Fairmont there is a park bordering the neighborhood, so even though within the neighborhood the only place to play is at the pool, there is plenty of green space for everyone at the park. If there is a center of community activity and interaction within walking distance of housing then this counteracts the sprawl of the nearby neighborhoods, like Fairmont, as long as there is a low number of such neighborhoods.
Although being a product of sprawl, Fairmont met most of my criteria for a "good" neighborhood, like pedestrian-friendly sidewalks/crosswalks, safety, sense of community, and low traffic, it did lack organized streets and a central focus of community activity, but that is where Dacula makes up for it. After writing down observation notes and comparing them to the criteria, I might note that as long as there are community like Dacula, within walking distance of the residential houses, then that neighborhood could be considered as having "good" growth.
Thomas Rowe
*photo from: http://fairmont-onthepark.com/
Good work, Thomas.
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