Jonathan Smith is a web designer, graphic designer, and photographer in Harrisburg, PA.

Every day I cross the Maclay Street bridge on my way to work and on my way home. I’ve noticed how overgrown the weeds have gotten and how they seemed to have taken over the sidewalks. Finally, I found myself sitting on the bridge in traffic and looked over to my left. I was looking through the side of the bridge to the railroad tracks below.

How do things get this bad? I mean, if your house had a hole this big in the wall, and you found yourself looking outside, wouldn’t you fix it?

Following are a series of photos I took as I walked across the bridge. Hopefully this gains some awareness to the fact that this area is in dire need of attention. I hope to schedule a public/community cleanup day in the near future. If the city isn’t going to do it, then let the concerned citizens of Harrisburg spearhead the initiative and accomplish things.

This is the back of a large TV sitting in the weeds along the sidewalk of the bridge.

More trash sitting on the sidewalk.

The concrete of the bridge has worn away exposing the rebar of the structure of the bridge.

Not sure what kind of repair job this is. I wouldn’t be proud of this workmanship.

A battery and cigarette butt.

Steel plate placed over something with macadam holding it in place. Hope they don’t need easy access.

Missing some rails in this section.

A man pushing his bike through the weeds of the sidewalk. Doesn’t seem like a pleasant place to ride/walk.

A vine growing through the side of the bridge breaking the concrete apart.

An orange barrier sits along the intersection of Maclay and 7th Streets so that the bridge can be blocked off when the street floods.

A fire hydrant sits among the weeds of Maclay Street.

Weeds growing out of the concrete traffic island at Maclay and 7th Street making it difficult to see traffic coming from different directions.

Trash along the sidewalk.

Trash along the bridge near the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

The sidewalk disappears below the weeds along the Maclay Street bridge near the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Makes for a difficult and unpleasant walk.

Weeds and trash along the Maclay Street bridge.

View the entire Maclay Street Bridge photo set on Flickr.

I seem to be on an architecture kick lately. I’ve always been fascinated with architecture and even wanted to become an architect at one point in my life. Recently I learned about LivingHomes. These homes are designed by architects but are built in factories to very precise standards. They also use natural, non-toxic and sustainably-derived materials and because they are built in a factory, the waste material is very minimal compared to the average stick-built home.

Not only do I find these homes absolutely stunning to look at, but they are also built with the environment in mind. When you “configure” your home, you can choose to harvest rain water which traps rain water and uses it for irrigation of plants around your house. LivingHomes recommends choosing land for the home in an urban area which is already close to waterlines, sewers, electrical lines, community resources and mass transit. That would make Harrisburg a prime area to build. I wonder how much a small vacant lot in the city would cost. Hmmm…

There are many models to choose from. Or you can select to have one custom designed to suit your needs. My house is a nice first home for me. But I still dream of one day owning the “home of my dreams”. The LivingHome looks like it just may fit my dreams rather well.