Robert Fishman's Suburbanization: USA

The concept of suburbia quickly morphed into something far different from country living. Over the years, urban sprawl has created vast suburbs. Instead of local shops, the suburbs we know today have large malls full of box stores. Highways connect our suburbs to the city center instead of railways and the modern suburb doesn 't have the same sense of community that the original suburbs had. According to the documentary, "suburban life" and everything that comes with it has been packaged and sold in bulk to many Americans and Canadians. And this package we call "The American Dream", which is simply of a mockery or a satire of what the original suburbs used to be like, is

During the “Baby Boomer” era, following WWII, America underwent one of the largest demographic shifts and population growths in history. Huge amounts of home construction on the outskirts of America’s largest cities, known as “levittowns” became the new staple of the American dream, with the houses sporting two car garages, and white picket fences. These low density, predominantly middle class residential districts, were America’s first true suburbs. These suburbs were constructed mainly in response to the new postwar consumerism that enveloped the parents of the baby boomers. With the new economy, affordable housing, and most families becoming single income dependent, families grew bigger and bigger. The 1947 passing of the bill that lead to the interstate highway system, only added fuel to the fire of suburbanization. With the new interstate highway system, more affordable and fuel efficient automobiles, and the government aiding in the financing of new suburban homes, the choice seemed elementary. All of these factors pushing to the suburban movement, only spurred the baby boomers on, and between 1940-50, there was an 835% percent increase in living births with nearly 4 million children being born every year. In 1940, 19.5% of the United States population lived in what would be considered to be suburban areas outside of large metropolitan areas, however, by 1960; the number was pushing nearly 40%. The postwar suburbanization of America during the baby boomer

Before diving into the relevant action steps, it is important to understand the history that led to this crisis. Thompson (2010), states that after World War II, cities were highly valued and popular until conflict, poverty, and distress led to the demise of these cities; thus increasing the value of suburban

In the communities I grew up in, there were frequent changing circumstances that actually left my family not really as part of the community. From dingy, cheap and tiny places for rent, there has been significant points brought to the attention of the reader in this book that could attribute to the failure and success of neighborhoods. In Suburban Nation, the opening pages give a lot of insight on the issues that can come from these big and fancy, new housing developments.

Interestingly enough, the decline of a major American suburban area went unnoticed for several years. Several economists realized that the failure could’ve been caused by the lack of actual “metropolitan-ness” in the area, meaning that the city wasn’t economically associated with the suburban towns that surround them.

During the 1960’s, the growth of Suburbia increased and helped many Americans. The growing of Suburbia was mainly towards poor non-wealthy people who were struggling to find homes. However, the growth of Suburbia led to Consumers Credit/ Debt, Women living a scheduled life, African Americans not getting a fair share and being segregated, and as well as the GI Bill. Therefore the growth of Suburbia had a negative impact socially on the U.S The increase in the economic growth is a big cause of why Suburbia was created.

What comes to mind when you think of terms like: suburbia, urban sprawl, NIMBY, sustainability? We will discuss some of them in further detail, but one thing is for certain, these are all concepts that will effect every single American Citizen in the near future; if they do not already. The documentary Suburban America: Problems & Promises explores some of the intricacies and roles that suburban development has played in the past and gives us insight as to what might be see moving forward in to the future. This fascinating documentary is just shy of one hour, but it covers a surprising amount of ground in that time.

The implementation of gentrification as an economic strategy exhibits a break from the liberal urban policy present in the United States up until the 1970s, as well as a restructuring of the relationship between capital and the state. This departure from liberal urban policy occurred due to the development of a new neo-liberal urbanism¬– an urban form where the state becomes a partnered agent of the capitalist market rather than a regulator. This transformation was made possible through the disempowerment of original liberal urban policy. Public policy constraints on gentrification were replaced by a subsidized private-market shift of the urban built environment. As a result, neo-liberal urbanism has fueled gentrification through a systematic partnership of public planning with private capital.

“The suburban subdivision was unquestionable a successful product. For many, it was a vast improvement over what they were used to. The houses were specious compared to city dwellings, and they contained modern conveniences. Air, light, and a modicum of greenery came with the package” (Kunstler, 105). Once again, living in Levittown was more logical than living anywhere else.

California is a state with a lifestyle and identity all its own. One factor contributing to California’s unique singularity is the lay out of its cities and suburban areas. Unlike many metropolitan areas, which built up, California spread out, creating a commuter culture of loosely connected communities surrounding larger cities and urban areas. The popularization of suburban neighborhoods gained prominence and momentum in the 1950s, following World War II,and the influx of veterans returning home and starting families. That decade’s economic growth, attributed to government spending on the construction of interstate highways and schools, the distribution of veterans’ benefits and the increase in military spending, left Californians with high wages and low unemployment and inflation (The 1950s). These circumstances, combined with the ingenuity of new developers regarding the layout, construction and affordability of economically built homes, spear headed the creation of suburban communities in California. With thousands of new homes being built and purchased and hundreds of people

The suburbs were attractive for many reasons: They were cleaner, newer, and had better-funded schools. They also provided a sense of security which city dwellers had long been seeking. The perceived problems of the city—crowding, crime, and poverty—could be left behind. And because the suburbs were politically independent of the core city, the layers of bureaucracy and corruption could be replaced by smaller, friendlier, and presumably more honest

After World War II, the United States of America became a much wealthier nation. As America gained wealth and the populations in urban cities and transportation technology increased, many Americans spread out, away from the urban cities, to fulfill the common dream of having a piece of land to call their own. The landscape constructed became known as the suburbs, exclusive residential areas within commuting distance of a city. The popularity and success of the suburban landscape caused suburbs to sprawl across the United States, from the east coast to the west coast and along the borders between Canada and Mexico. By the 1990s, many suburbs surrounding major urban cities developed into being more than merely exclusive residential areas.

When people hear the word “Utopia” they often think of a peaceful place without any worries. Throughout the years, utopia has been defined as “an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect”. Many times society is often referred to as an “utopian society” of which many hope for as a sense of perfection within. However, it is often far from that state of perfection despite how hard it tries to be. The connotation of this word has also been referenced through the American land, mostly in accordance to the suburban districts of America. The suburbs became the onset to many of what modern society was within America. It was through the establishment of the suburbs that this connotation of a “utopian society” was formed. The suburbs became an important way of the American livelihood and without the establishment of the suburbs, none of the industries, the community, or the utopian society would be as it is today.

Joshua Ruff in “For Sale — The America Dream,” analyzes the growth of suburban living in the United States. This article focuses mainly on the first suburban community that was developed in Levittown, New York in the early 1950s.

Among the American population, there was a desire for individual freedom following World War II. One being able to provide a large living space and accumulate material wealth became engrained in the American Dream. Many realized that the suburbs and living in planned sub divisions of land was an affordable option led to the growth of suburbia throughout the late 20th century.