6.1 Suburbanization

Suburbanization Influences (US)

  • Widespread acceptance of cars by 1950’s (increased range, flexibility); development of freeway system

  • Establishment of 40-hour workweek (can live farther away from jobs- more time for commuting)

  • Creation of FHA during “New Deal” (longer mortgage periods, lower down-payment requirements)

  • Good deals for WWII veterans’ home purchases

  • Baby boom

  • Ease of construction (prefabricated housing)

Additional influences of suburbanization

  • Popular culture (TV shows, “white-picket fence”)

  • Newer facilities (homes, schools, roads)

  • Safer, better for raising kids

  • More private spaces (garage/driveway for parking, yards)

  • “American Dream” (Manifest Destiny—private ownership, climbing social and economic ladder)

Suburb Issues

  1. Expensive to develop

  2. High purchasing prices

  3. More communting times and traffic

  4. “Boring”/generic cultural landscape (placelessness)

  5. Segregation (economic/social classes)

US Suburbanization Trends (late 19th/early 20th century)

1) 3rd wave of European migration of US (1890-1920; migrants from S/E Europe): Existing residents/group moving farther away from downtown/centralc ity areas to escape new immigrant waves (not really “suburbs” yet, but trends of moving farther away from dense, overcrowded central city areas)

2) New transportation tech (horse-drawn streetcars, urban rail systems, automobiles, cheap fuel, freeways)

  • Easier to travel long distances, more freedom & flexibility

Post-WW2 Trends

  1. Veterans’ deals on housing (lowe interest loans)

  2. Beginning of baby boom (1946)

  3. Creation/expansion of interstate freeways (longer “acceptable” commute times)

  4. 1980’s-now: Sprawl (continuous buildup; creation of edge cities)

The “Order of Operations” in Suburban Development

  • Residential development first, services followed (closer to customers)

  • Downtown areas of cities no longer the dominant “central place”

  • Industrial relocation later (more space, cheaper land, rise of autombile; tractor-tailer trucks and roads provided more flexibility of travel-no need for fixed limited railroad tracks)

  • Rise of “bedroom” communities (commuter city): primarily residential/service oriented for the local population; many commute to other areas for work

*Cerritos=perfect example, plenty of homes, stores, restaurants, businesses around the Towne Center (Spectrum, AT&T, law offices) and industrial areas north of 166th

Counter-Urbanization

  • Movement back into rural and semi-rural areas (US, Europe)

  • Desire for relaxed pace of life ( hange in lifestyle), leisure (outdoors); cheaper land/cost of living

  • Modern tech: rural areas can be just as connected to the rest of the world