Fixing Suburbia: Yeah, I'm Not Buying It

 Like many topics we’ve covered throughout architecture graduate school, the problem of suburbia is much simpler than we are making it out to be. Essentially, it’s not a problem. Why is there this idea that anything inherently “American” must be fundamentally wrong? It’s evident to me that suburbia is like any other concept in the world: there are good and bad aspects that must be weighed. In his lecture, Franco did well to mention the positives along with the negatives that have come out of suburbia, and yet we still only read articles about how to ‘fix this problem’. If it is only bad, why do some people still want to move there? In modern American society, citizens have cheap options ranging from very rural areas to suburban homes to apartments in the city. Similarly, there are extremely expensive options in each context. Who are we to say which one people should spend their money on?

On social media the other day, I saw a celebrity New York City apartment that cost $6 million dollars for less than 3000 square feet. My childhood suburban home was 3500 square feet and cost less than one tenth that amount. I would not trade my childhood experience in that home for anything. Contrary to all of these articles’ assertions, there are many benefits to suburbia that neither rural or urban environments can offer: it is the true compromise. Community and safety among neighbors with the advantage of space and privacy. Why can’t someone want to have that? I grew up in true suburbia, and while I do share sentiments of my generation of wanting to live in a city, I know that I do not want to raise a family there and will most likely return to some form of suburbia when I want to settle down.

 

Typical American Strip Mall

It is not the architect’s responsibility to decide whether one form of living should exist or not. The beauty of America is that all options are available, and it is up to the individual to decide whether they want to spend their hard-earned money on a loft in the city, a 1000-acre farm in the country, or a large home with a spacious backyard in the suburbs. And, as the topic of the automobile is brought up frequently when discussing suburbia, that is a choice, too: I know people who have given up their car to live in a city and truly miss the independence and autonomy that comes with it.

 

La Grande Orange Retrofit

In Ellen Dunham-Jones’ and June Williamson’s article “Retrofitting Suburbia,” the writers wax poetic about La Grande Orange in Phoenix, Arizona, a strip mall converted into an attractive, modern building that contains local restaurants and shops. The first couple of times they mentioned this ‘successful attempt at retrofitting suburbia,’ I bought into it. Then, I had to ask myself: seriously, what is the difference between this and the original strip mall? They are offering the exact same services, the only difference being that the new version is trendier. I found good arguments to improving the urban environment in this article, but I did not find any convincing argument as to why suburbia as an entity is inherently bad. We must be careful to avoid trends in society forming our opinions, and instead look to improving conditions in all forms of living: embracing diversity in people’s wants and needs. Suburbia is not improved by converting it into an urban environment. Instead, we must examine the reasons why people are living there in the first place and understand that those benefits disappear when converted into a 40-story apartment complex. And, instead of ‘retrofitting suburbia,’ simply renovate.