We reported a couple weeks ago that Morgantown City Council approved $15,000 for an eco-park project in our sister city, Xuzhou, China. The greenspace will be influenced by the geography of Morgantown, with a grid of sidewalks based on our downtown streets and water features inspired by the Monongahela River and Deckers Creek.
That’s pretty cool, when you stop to think about it — a piece of the Mountain State on the other side of the world. We thought it would be equally cool to bring a little piece of our sister cities — Xuzhou, but also our other sister city, Guanajuato, Mexico — to Morgantown.
Part of the city’s appeal to current and prospective residents is its mix of convenient amenities and gorgeous green spaces, from cultivated city parks to the more untamed state parks nearby. As Morgantown looks to reinvigorate its own recreational areas, maybe we should consider modeling some of the features after our sister cities, the way Xuzhou has modeled one of its gardens after Morgantown.
If you Google images of our sister cities, you’ll see Xuzhou has beautiful water features and stunning hyper-futuristic glass and steel buildings. Guanajuato is a vibrant city nestled among rolling hills. (Sound familiar?) The buildings, particularly the residences, are close together painted a rainbow of bright, warm colors, and classic stucco architecture, complete with the red-tiled roofs.
Morgantown needs to invest in its green spaces, period. And if the city is going to put in the work and the money, it would be nice to see our community parks and gardens become not just fully functioning places, but beautiful destinations. And a little international flavor could be just the thing they need.
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