Mini Essay - “The Suburbia Dream” - Russell Buchanan

           Time is quickly coming to a close for my Clemson Student career. As this assignment is being turned in, it will mark the last assignment I have to turn in over a course over 10 years as a student. During those years with the university it has always been a dream to go out into the world after my Clemson University career and make an impact in the world outside the confines of this amazing university. In addition to the impact I project to make in the business world, a personal dream has to have my own place of permanent residence in the community in which I will work. I am thrilled at the notion this will be a reality in just three short days after turning in this assignment. I have been presented with an incredible opportunity to own a 2 story, 4 bed and 2.5 bath home in my new city of Spartanburg, SC.  With the discussions over the course this semester, I have a new appreciation of the idea of home ownership and its place in the world. Coming from Anderson, suburban design and sprawl has been a way of life. Driving the city and enjoying life on the open road. 

            Life in the suburbs has been able to provide wonderful life for my family. My parents have been hard workers in their respected fields to make a meaning life available for my brother and myself. The neighbor streets have always been quite and we know many within our expanded neighborhood. Life has been great to live, we been great to live within these parameters. We grew up mowing our lawn, washing the cars, waving to neighbors as they walked their dogs, exchanged tools as need with others, sold Boy Scout popcorn and wrapping paper door to door, the only thing we don’t have is a white pitched fence. Now I wonder from the readings, discussions, and suggestions throughout the semester, were we missing something that could have further enhanced our quality of life….. 

            We were asked to listen to the messages within the readings from Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson, with Retrofitting Suburbia. Within their book/reading they are a big proponent of developing brownfield sites. These sites are areas where old industrial factories or warehouses where placed but no longer are in use. Growing up, we had these sites in Anderson and nearby cities as reminders of the long ago past. These places were where my grandparents and elders in my family worked. Would developing these sites in any sort of manner diminish the history that was once there. It wasn’t until my undergrad years at Clemson that this notion of developing these sites started to mean something to me and the potential it could bring. 

            I grew up watching the Simpsons, Married with Children, the Brady Bunch, Fresh Prince, Home Improvement and many other shows that has a suburban attitude to these shows. Watching these shows, it has been years of pop culture influences that caused me to have a desire to one day own a home of my own and enjoy the lifestyle projected within these shows. I still have a strong desire to live within the suburban culture but, I think we need to introduce some ongoing developing practices to the suburban lifestyle. Community Gardens, walkable trials/paths, and alternative transit to limit our dominance of the car needs to be a ongoing push. The US has the land to provide space for suburbia to grow but we are limiting the natural landscape we all have come to enjoy and desire to live within. I personally agree with many that we need to start limiting growth into specific areas that would hinder wildlife and the naturalistic environment. It is great to know we can build in some of these remote locations but what harm have we caused to the environment with building within restricted sites. The suburban culture needs to lead the way in conversation efforts to conserve water resources and recycling efforts. We are quickly expanding the built environment but we are not boosting the natural environment to deal with our increases. 

            I am thrilled to begin a new chapter in my life outside of college and the start of having my own property. But I now see that we need to be more aware of impact we are causing on the natural and built environment. Changes with this new rational of thought needs to be rapid and new implementations on our habits will start to lessen the impact. Time will tell how suburbia has crafted the American landscape and the legacy of left on the American culture.