Award-winning journalist Thomas Hylton recently spoke at the Macungie Institute about smart growth in communities.

Hylton described how towns were originally built with houses close together, stores within walking distance and doctors' offices, libraries and other community services all within the same area.

He explained how during the 1800s trolleys, trains and bikes lessened travel time. These methods were the way to get around until the 1940s when the automobile became the transportation of choice.

Automobiles created new needs, Hylton said. Space for driving became an issue. Shopping centers were developed outside towns and people began moving away from the towns and cities.

Roads became wider than needed, which further added to urban sprawl.

Hylton said Milton Hershey wanted to build an ideal community. Hershey was built with everything within walking distance.

Lexington, Ky. was one of the first communities to use the smart growth concept in its planning. Everything here was also within walking distance.

Boulder, Colo., which is around the size of Scranton, has a "green belt" around it, Hylton explained. Retail shops are located downtown due to this "boundary."

The Netherlands, he said, is a well-planned country where residents use bikes for transportation and the elderly use scooters.

Pottstown is another community that corrected its urban sprawl. Residents walk and ride bikes.

Freeport, Maine, a small town, is known for being the home of L.L. Bean. It also has a McDonald's that is in a farmhouse.

Businesses use empty houses, and parking is done in a way to promote planting of trees.

Hylton said trees are the best form of stormwater management saying parking lots are ugly with the idea of all asphalt and no greenery. Trees are planted for every two parking spots.

Wyomissing and State College have the best tree programs in Pennsylvania, he said. Wyomissing has a $200,000 tree budget and State College has a $400,000 tree budget.