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Walkability: HGTV

Fairmont State University, the college “on the hill” and Fairmont, WV are an ideal location for students to explore the many sub-disciplines and aspects of urban geography, the study of cities and urban processes.

Urbanization and the American City

The focus of the HGTV applications tends to be the same ones that have driven urban planners since its inception. A focus on creating community for the greater good with an emphasis on reviving mixed use livability, walkability, and ultimately linking city revitalization to state revitalization.

 

 

 

HGTV HOMETOWN MAKEOVER

Small cities across the United States, many of them from West Virginia, applied for the HGTV Hometown Takeover. No singlular source is available for the towns that are applying and what that means in terms of urban geography, development, and the reflection of these small towns on the history of urbanization in  America. Urban Geography students (Spring 2020) identified towns that were participating across the U.S. to analyze their human, cultural, physical, and urban geography. 
They found that like many small towns in West Virginia, from Charleston WV to Weston WV, small (and sometimes not so small towns) that submigt HGTV applications encapsulate the history of urbanization and local memories of the American City.

A Fairmont State University student owns a photography company called, Cardinal View, worked with Main Street Fairmont to create a video for the City of Fairmont, WV.  He spoke in class about the decisions they made to create the video, what information they included, and the message they were trying to send about Fairmont, WV and the future.