The suburban spectrum: from creativity to Camazotz
The conversation about suburbia is always interesting to me. While I recognise the reasons people criticise the suburbs, and especially agree with many of the issues of inequality, sprawl, and car centrism that go with them, I also grew up in a suburb and genuinely enjoyed it. I have since spent time in higher density areas and I believe higher density mixed use environments are a better alternative essentially across the board, I can’t deny the pleasant experience of space and ownership and order that I felt growing up in my suburban neighbourhood. That said, the critique of sameness and conformity that goes along with suburbs always reminds me of Camazotz from Madeleine L’Engel’s A Wrinkle in Time and the sort of dystopian nightmare of conformity it shows. Despite the best attempts of HomeOwners' Associations to ruin everything for everyone all the time, I never felt the suburbs to be stifling or force any conformity and in fact, have always felt the space lent itself more to th...
