SUBURBAN SWELL STATEMENT Suburbia is the expired perception of the American dream; it is shaped by the desire for land, green space, privacy, and safety. Whereas, the metropolis is shaped by economics, business, culture, and the exchange of ideas. These different environments create separate lifestyles that seldom overlap. Dense urban centers are naturally more sustainable than a low density suburb as they consume less energy, are less dependent on automobiles, have greater access to economic opportunities, and have more cultural amenities. With future population growth, communities must respond to the increasing housing demand. In the United States, metropolitan growth does not increase density, it increases sprawl. Why does the U.S.
expand through sprawl? Land ownership, privacy, and refuge are the driving cultural values that encourage sprawl and contribute to the “American” fear of density. The fear that giving up land ownership takes away one’s independence, individuality, and control. Contemporary forms of density do not acknowledge these ingrained cultural values. Failing to recognize these values will lead to indefinite sprawl. Suburban Swell reacts to fears of density by using the lifestyle of the suburbs as a framework for a new vertical morphology of density that embraces light, community, land ownership, individuality, and the American dream. Suburban Swell is based on the form of the cul-de-sac, an urban form that is ubiquitous in American suburbs. Suburban Swell is a structure designed to be built above any cul-de-sac; it vertically extends the cul-de-sac, transforming any given neighborhood into a denser and more urban version of itself. As such, removing the necessity of the automobile, and encouraging the use of alternate modes of transportation. The intimacy, community, and greenspace found in a cul-de-sac is preserved, while the density is increased. Suburban Swell does not provide a finished living space; instead, it provides a base for a vertical neighborhood. There are unbuilt plots of land, where each person can build to suit their needs and preferences. With this land ownership, the ideas of the American dream are not lost but rather embraced. There is still a backyard, there is still a place for the children to play, there is still the single family home. If architecture integrates density and the American dream, density is no longer scary. If density becomes desirable suburban sprawl can be eliminated.
In the book The Great Inversion, author Alan Ehrenhalt reveals the changes that are happing in urban and suburban areas. Alan Ehrenhalt the former editor of Governing Magazine leads us to acknowledge that there is a shift in urban and suburban areas. This revelation comes as the poorer, diverse, city dwellers opt for the cookie cutter, shanty towns at the periphery of American cities known as the suburbs. In similar fashion the suburbanites, whom are socioeconomic advantaged, are looking to migrate into the concrete jungles, of America, to live an urban lifestyle. Also, there is a comparison drawn that recognizes the similarities of cities and their newer, more affluent, residents, and those cities of Europe a century ago and their residents. In essence this book is about the demographic shifts in Urban and Suburban areas and how these changes are occurring.
In “The End of Suburbia”, the main purpose of the documentary is to explain the oil crisis as we are nearing the oil peak, and had reach the maximum oil supply in the world. That suburbs will likely fail because of this crisis. The documentary the main point they are trying to state, is that people in America cannot continue living the way, they do in Suburbs. The cost of maintaining that life style, is extremely expensive and not energy efficient, using far too much oil to be considered maintainable.
Echo Park, one of Los Angeles’s most well-known neighborhoods, was once associated with gang violence in the 80’s and 90’s. The crime rate in the area was to the point that many people would not dare being caught walking out after dark. Nowadays, people do not fear walking in the streets of Echo Park after dark. This new sense of safety in Echo park can be contributed to its nightlife scene characterized by Indie music venues and trendy bars. You may ask yourself how this change came about?
... motivation for wealthy individuals to return to the inner-city core but it also provides impetus for commercial and retail mixed-use to follow, increasing local revenue for cities (Duany, 2001). Proponents of gentrification profess that this increase in municipal revenue from sales and property taxes allows for the funding of city improvements, in the form of job opportunities, improved schools and parks, retail markets and increased sense of security and safety ((Davidson (2009), Ellen & O’Reagan (2007), Formoso et. al (2010)). Due to the increase in housing and private rental prices and the general decrease of the affordable housing stock in gentrifying areas, financially-precarious communities such as the elderly, female-headed households, and blue-collar workers can no longer afford to live in newly developed spaces ((Schill & Nathan (1983), Atkinson, (2000)).
The Suburbanization of the United States. New York. Oxford University Press, 1985. Lemann, Nicholas. The.. The Promised Land.
There are various varying emotions and perspectives in association with this subject of suburbanization and women’s role, and this causes inconvenience to answer the above question. It is key however to survey and have a comprehension of this thought of suburbanization before dealing with the proposed question. I will go in detailed explanation of suburbanization for a better understanding of women’s role in it.
In a social sense, consumers prefer low-density developments. Low density means more space and better standard of living. There are apartments available in every city for those who prefer them. However, many people choose to live in detached homes. Nobody forces people to buy house at outer suburbs (Holcombe 1999). Developers build those houses because that is where people want to live. Why? The answer is simple, those houses offer better space and comfort compare to living in the confine inner city. Many have suggeste...
America is seen as the land of opportunity in that there are endless possibilities for an individual. In this land of opportunity, Americans strive to obtain the ideal known as the American dream. The American Dream is seen as the accomplishment of an ambition achieved while challenged by adversity.1 Americans often associate this success with the ownership of a home. The home is not simply a place of basic protection; there is a much deeper connection to the individual. Ownership of a home grants freedom and security that establishes a sense permanency for the individual. In contrast, renting a living space possesses a semblance of instability and dependence.2 The desire to improve ones’ position in life inspires one to obtain the American dream.
It started with a governmental incentive of getting America out of the Great Depression. Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) was “signed into law by FDR, designed to serve urban needs” (Jackson, 196). This law protected homeownership, not only that, “it introduced, perfected, and proved in practice the feasibility of the long-term, self-amortizing mortgage with uniform payments spread over the whole life of the debt” (Jackson, 196). Because of this new law, it was cheaper to buy a house than rent. Then came the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that encouraged citizens to reside in new residential developments and/or areas with FHA-approved features, like Levittown. Mass-produced cars and cheap gasoline made the option of moving to a suburban area more of a reality for many families because now they can think to live such a lifestyle. With cars, come commuters who needs accessible roads to drive to and from work, to go grocery shopping, etc. which mean that the government need to pave roads for such commute to happen. “The urban expressways led to lower marginal transport costs and greatly stimulated deconcentration,” (Jackson, 191). As Jackson expressed, “The appeal of low-density living over time and across regional, class, and ethnic lines was so powerful that some observers came to regard it as natural and inevitable,” (190). Urban areas were becoming too crowded, too heterogeneous, more and more crimes were breaking out everyday; this is not an ideal living condition for a lot of people so moving to a bigger, more spread out area is a great contestant. Therefore, some of the key factors that explains the growth of the suburbs are housing policy (FHA & HOLC), mass-produced houses, mass-produced cars, cheap fuel, and government funding
Of the many problems affecting urban communities, both locally and abroad, there is one issue in particular, that has been victimizing the impoverished within urban communities for nearly a century; that would be the problem of gentrification. Gentrification is a word used to describe the process by which urban communities are coerced into adopting improvements respective to housing, businesses, and general presentation. Usually hidden behind less abrasive, or less stigmatized terms such as; “urban renewal” or “community revitalization” what the process of gentrification attempts to do, is remove all undesirable elements from a particular community or neighborhood, in favor of commercial and residential enhancements designed to improve both the function and aesthetic appeal of that particular community. The purpose of this paper is to make the reader aware about the significance of process of gentrification and its underlying impact over the community and the community participation.
Gentrification does not follow traditional urban growth theory, which predicts ?the decline of inner city areas as monied classes move to the metropolitan fringe.? The traditional economic model of real estate says that wealthy people can choose their housing from the total city market (Schwirian 96). Once these people decide to live in the suburbs, the lower social classes move into the old homes of the upper class, essentially handing housing down the socioeconomic ladder. Gentrification is actually a reversal of this process. For a variety of reasons, many inner city areas are becoming more attractive to the wealthy, and they are selecting their housing in those areas (Schwirian 96). The problem is that now when the wealthy take over poor homes and renovate them, the poor cannot afford the housing that the wealthy have abandoned. Many researchers have argued whether gentrification has truly created problems in cities. I will analyze the arguments for and against gentrification by exploring the subject from both sides.
Gentrification is the keystone for the progression of the basic standards of living in urban environments. A prerequisite for the advancement of urban areas is an improvement of housing, dining, and general social services. One of the most revered and illustrious examples of gentrification in an urban setting is New York City. New York City’s gentrification projects are seen as a model for gentrification for not only America, but also the rest of the world. Gentrification in an urban setting is much more complex and has deeper ramifications than seen at face value. With changes in housing, modifications to the quality of life in the surrounding area must be considered as well. Constant lifestyle changes in a community can push out life-time
Chicago is a city located in Northern Eastern Illinois, USA with a population of approximately 2.7 million people including a range of ethnic groups such as African-Americans, Puerto Ricans and Bosnians.In 2013 there had been an average of 512 homicides per year in Chicago. The spatial pattern of homicides are predominantly concentrated in the Western and Southern areas of Chicago.
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.
The urban infrastructure is the physical manifestation of our social values and, as such, it reveals the underlying problems with the current urban form. In recent decades, population growth and rural-urban migration have increased urban sprawl, resulting in more numerous and rapidly growing cities, which have become vibrant centres of culture and commerce. There is a flip side, however. Higher levels of consumption create mountains of waste; population growth and the inequitable distribution of wealth also lead to more slums and homelessness; and the addiction to the automobile encourages urban sprawl to the detriment of downtown areas and neighbouring farmland. The urban issue is exacerbated by the fact that 79 percent of Canadians live in urban areas,