Reply To: The Suburbs that bad?

Eastern suburbia does not resemble western suburbia. I think it is much more pleasant. The roads are windy, the terrain is varied, and there is no grid outside of a downtown mini-urban core. Its like being rural with houses in the woods and usually particular roads that are strips of strip malls, box stores, and fast food, but the rest of it is very pleasant, very varied, and usually very vegetated. What’s not to like? Some say it is not to like because you typically need a car to get around. That brings up the 800 pound gorilla that no one considers – cost to benefit ratio. Does suburbia demand the car and therefore should be damned, or is the car the damned price that you pay for the benefits of suburbia?

Excellent point, suburbs come in various flavors- but so do urban areas. The popular portrayal of cities as dirty and crowded doesn’t apply to all types of effective, higher density living arrangements.

I think the major problem here is that everyone has a preconception of suburbia, and a preconception of urban areas; forgetting that there are pleasant aspects and negative aspects of each.

Despite the fact that many landscape architects discuss the merits of higher density living arrangements and preserving/enhancing urban cores- all incentives support suburbia. Fiscal policies have artificially supported suburbs as cities continue to deteriorate.

No one is forcing a mass exodus from the suburbs on America. Quite the opposite, the American dream thrives, the media portrays the suburbs as safe havens from dingy crime ridden cities. If you feel pressure from your professional peers to support urban initiatives rather than continuing the development patterns of the past, it is not an attack on you or your choice to live in the suburbs- it is a simple analysis of the larger picture.

You describe it perfectly- without a car in suburbia, you are subhuman. That is a huge problem.

Here’s a quick view of my preconceptions for suburbia vs urban living: I live in a neighborhood developed in the 1930s- lots of single family houses, some 3-4 story apartment buildings, small yards, houses close together, friendly neighbors, beautiful trees, single car or nonexistent garages. Within comfortable walking distance (1/2- 3/4 of a mile) there is a library, bank, two pharmacy’s, veterinarian, dentist, barbershop, schools, 5 parks, bike paths, two grocery stores, three coffee shops, eight restaurants, two bars, and numerous stores. Only the grocery store is a national brand- the remaining businesses are local, with a few regional brands. Many people go through an entire weekend without using their cars.

My office is in the suburbs. Winding roads that make it impossible to find your way around, street trees are a scrawny afterthought, the roads are extremely wide to accommodate the nonexistent demand for street parking, businesses have huge parking lots that are rarely ever even half full, there are a ton of cheaply constructed apartment buildings, townhouses, and condos (density), and the prominent design feature of the houses (besides privacy fences) is the garage. Within walking distance there is nothing– because sidewalks are far from continuous, and there is a four lane arterial road separating the “business” areas from the “commercial” areas from the “residential” areas. People literally drive their cars 1/2 mile to get to restaurants that are 500 feet away from our office at lunch, because walking is not safe. If walking were possible, within 3/4 mile, there would be a grocery store, a pharmacy, a coffee shop, a bar, and around ten restaurants. With the exception of two restaurants, all are national or regional brands.

These philosophical discussions of the merits of suburban sprawl or denser redevelopment of cities are healthy, and there are still plenty of options available for each to choose their favorite flavor.