A Proposed Subur-ban?
Ever since the first-of-its-kind residential community was mass developed at Levittown, suburban communities have stood for long-standing American ideals of independence, ownership, and an increasing desire for convenience.
Suburbs were a new successful typology of nearly identical-looking, affordable, compact homes complete with perfectly manicured lawns. They proved to be a seamless and successful solution transitioning from America's WWII industrialization to its fast-growing economy and population boom thereafter. However, while suburbs provided many benefits - as more and more people flocked to these communities from urban centers, homes, lawns, and roads also grew larger, leading to some unintended (and intended*) consequences to the environment and well-being of the residents they serve.
Some examples are the following:
1. Urban Sprawl
2. Social Isolation
3. Increased Car dependence
4. Lack of diversity in both Ethnicity and Building Typologies*
5. Increased Infrastructure Costs
The Developer behind Levittown in New York was named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century."
Will there be a new community model created by City Planners, Architects, or Developers which American cities can adopt at scale this century which aims to do better for the environment and the residents they serve?
There may be a new community model that is created by City Planners, Architects, or Developers which American cities can adopt at scale this century. An idea is that the developer or architects will start to buy up lots and houses in these neighbors and start to fill in the gaps with multifamily housing or commercial buildings. This would allow for the sprawl to become more dense.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I find the question you make at the end of your post very compelling. The old model of traditional suburbia is now irrelevant and the change in times calls for something new. I think the answer lies in what you stated about " adopting a scale in this century" so that it is indeed relevant to today's users. It would be densifying existing suburbs at different scales based on the user.
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