The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Suburbia

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Through out this course we have covered a wide variety of topics regarding suburbia. These topics highlighted both the advantages and disadvantages of suburbia. In his book The End of the Suburbs, Gallagher makes numerous arguments against the tenability of suburbs. From unsustainable infrastructure costs to suburbanites sprawling to cities, Gallagher claims that American suburbs are dying. While he does make many valid arguments, I believe that suburbs can be made far more viable through an increase in population density. This will go a long way to sustain four crucial aspects of suburbia, transportation, economics, the environment and community. While doing research for my course paper, I learned a great deal on the sustainability of suburbs. In a paper titled “Sustainable Suburbia,” MacCormac Prichard proposes one change that can be made to suburbia that would make a dramatic difference in its viability. This chang being an increase in the suburban density. He argues that by developing suburbs with a fifty dwellings per hectare, roughly the density of San Fransisco, suburbs could improve in all four crucial aspects that suburbia relies on. …show more content…

The iconic morning commute is a key characteristic of living in suburbia. Because of this, the city must be easily accessible to suburbanites commuting to and from suburbia. By following Prichard’s plan for a higher density suburbia, a more efficient and effective transportation system can be implemented. Both rail and bus could be be used as means of transportation to and from suburbia. Higher density suburbs would also increase walkability, allowing for easy access to convenience stores and local businesses. Prichard emphasizes that in a thoroughly planned suburbia, a car would be a luxury instead of a

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