NEW DEVELOPMENTS

 

Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson's perspective in "Retrofitting Suburbia" comes from a point of view taken just after the 2008 Great Recession. They mention the slow down in single family homes, closing of businesses, and vacant office buildings as a result of the recession, while positioning these factors as a way to rethink the suburban sprawl that has occurred since Levitown, New York, became the suburban icon in the mid 20th Century. 

Despite their ideas not fully being tested following this time, their perspective of rethinking suburbia following this economic downturn was interesting. Particularly, the adaptive reuse of large office buildings to be transformed into suburban hubs for living and social connectiveness. This remains relevant today with the work environment shifting from office buildings to virtual work with the Covid Lockdowns. Many office spaces remain vacant even with many places returning back to work four years later. These vacant spaces can once again become an opportunity to rethink their usage and potentially shift suburbia into a new form that promotes environmental and social connections in an increasingly virtual world.