Future of Suburbia by Katie Rumford

THE FUTURE OF +

SUBURBIA

KATIE KING

RUMFORD

“SO HOW WILL THE “THE SUBURBS HAVE SUBURBS LOOK IN 40 THREE DESTINIES, NONE YEARS? IT DEPENDS OF THEM EXCLUSIVE: AS ON HOW SMART AND MATERIALS SALVAGE, AS BOLD WE ARE WILLING SLUMS, AND AS RUINS” TO BE.” —James Kunstler —Stephen J. Dubner

PREFACE

The idea behind this three book series

American culture, what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to

is to create an awareness of what the

mean and how they have developed over

suburban lifestyle has become in North

the last 70 years and what the future

America. There are two divided camps

holds for Suburbia in America.

on the topic of the suburbs, those that

The first book in the series is a great

feel it is a waste of perfectly good space

way for people to get their feet wet,

and find everything wrong with it, and

perhaps knee-deep or waist-deep in

then the others who believe that the

the history of Suburbia, the lifestyle

suburban life is wonderful and there

of Suburbia as it currently sits and the

is nothing wrong with it. There are of

choices that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made as Americans

course those that stand in the middle,

that have idolized suburban life and what

too timid to take a stance one way or

it has made of America. The tone of the

another or not educated enough on the

first book is not meant to be bright and

topic, but our hope for this series is to

cheery, telling you all about the great

point out how the suburbs have shaped

things of Suburbia. In fact, the first book

WE ARE is meant to get you on the same page as

abyss of wasteland. We build something,

us, the writers and designers. We believe

grow tired of it and move on to the next,

that Suburbia began as a great thing and

leaving it to rot in the dust we leave be-

it held all the potential in the world to be

hind. That being said, the first book is

a great restarting point for America after

not entirely positive, but it shows the

WWII. Community living, small-town

merit of Suburbia and its intentions and

feel, know everyone by name, have all

goes on to show what a mess we’ve made

the newest technology and have own a

of it today.

car. But where we went wrong was in

The second book is meant to be read

our obsession to grow, to be the first

as a sort of “what if”, choose your own

and to be the best. Growth is not always

adventure book, as is this third book.

a bad thing, but when it becomes an ob-

We talk about the consequences of our

session and our attention spans shrink,

actions and what that means in light of

our expectations grow and our desires

today and the future of the suburbs. The

never end the sprawl becomes an endless

second book takes on the poor choices

THE FUTURE OF AMERICA. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? we’ve made in the past and shows what

then I hope to educate the reader as

America would look like if we didn’t

to what kinds of choices there are out

change our ways. In way, it’s meant to

there and what are smarter choices. The

scare you. It’s meant to show you, per-

suburbs are not bad, like so many people

haps in a bit of hyperbole at times, what

make them out to be. They are a part of

we, as Americans, have the power to do

our culture, a part of our past and realisti-

in a negative light. It may not be entirely

cally, a part of our future. In order to

pretty or pleasant, but it needs to be seen

make the future brighter, we need to start

in order to educate the reader of the pos-

making some better choices to preserve

sible (and inevitable without any change)

the beauty and freedom that we have. I

future of the suburbs and America.

hope to show you that there is a future

This third book takes on a much more

for Suburbia and it can be great, but it

positive angle. I take time to show you a

will take time and effort. It won’t be easy

bit of the past, and what was great about

and it may not be ideal at first, but small

the suburbs in American past-times and

changes can make a big difference.

Designer

Katie King Rumford

Semester

Fall 2010

Class Professor Group Members Typefaces Printer Paper Cutting & Binding

GR 601 Brendan Callahan Book 01 // Padcha Supanimit Book 02 //Joel Hawkins Book 03 // Katie King Rumford Trade Gothic Berkeley Epson 3800 Red River 50lb. Premium Matte Eco Copy San Francisco, California Copyright ÂŠ Katie King Rumford 2010

BOOK

03 03

THE FUTURE OF +

SUBURBIA

KATIE KING

RUMFORD

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 01: Looking Back Suburbia 1950 Suburbia Today Sustainability & Permaculture

CHAPTER 02: Transportation & Energy Urban Sprawl Alternative Transportation

CHAPTER 03: Health Sprawl & Health Locavore Culture

CHAPTER 04: Community Walkable Neighborhoods Community Living Multi-Use Spaces

CHAPTER 05: Suburban Repair Kit Restaurant Repair Strip Mall Rebuilt Gas Station Extension Converting Parking Lots to Farms

CLOSING COMMENTS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION WHAT’S UP WITH

You’ll notice this symbol throughout the duration of this book. The arrow symbol is meant to remind you, the reader, to constantly move forward and to look to the future. It sounds simple right? Learn from our past, don’t repeat the same mistakes and move forward. We can’t simply refer to the past because times are different and the world has changed. Be aware of these arrows through the book leading you along.

Picture this, you’re moving along a tree lined street through a neighborhood, where cars are parked in their usual

a small town or where they grew up. But wasn’t it great imagining the old neighborhood and reminiscing about the old

spots in the paved driveways, children are playing whiffle ball in the street, their bikes strewn across the lawn with abandoned backpacks and lunch pales, they smile and wave as you pass by. Now stop, take a mental snapshot of where you are and what your surroundings look like. Now, without thinking about it answer this, where are you? What are you riding on or in? Why? Perhaps not surprising, more than 80% of the people who answered this said that they were in a car driving somewhere in

way of life? What would it be like to live like that again? Is that something that we, as Americans would want? Or has progress moved beyond the small and quaint and on to the grand and over-the-top? As you read the pages of this book, I ask you to keep and open mind and when possible, picture what it could be like. The only way we can change our future is to change our present. Leave a legacy of change.

LOOKING BACK

The modern American suburb was developed in order to meet the housing needs of millions of GIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s returning from World War II. Similarly, the interstate highway system as we know it today was originally imagined as a way to assist those men in securing jobs in major city centers, while facilitating the growth of suburbs. It might sound simple, but these two twentiethcentury phenomena ultimately altered the American landscape in complex ways: physically, economically, environmentally, politically and socially.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT MORE AMERICANS LIVE IN SUBURBS THAN IN CITIES? A move from the city to the suburbs used to signal prosperity for American families. But in 2005, the number of poor suburbanites outnumbered poor people in cities by 1 million for the first time. That startling statistic is part of a new report that examines poverty trends in the first part of the decade.

Would you believe that today far more Americans live in suburbs than in cities? In fact, if you’re an American, it’s more than likely that you live in a suburb. If you don’t, you probably have friends or relatives that do, or you shop, go to school, work, or play there. You’re certainly familiar with the suburban landscape and lifestyle in some way, even if you don’t realize it. That’s because for over half a century Americans—in droves —have been migrating to neighborhoods miles and miles from urban centers. And what helped facilitate this exodus? Highways, and lots of them, crisscrossing all over the nation, through its cities, and across its plains, valleys, and mountains. Sure, it’s true that cars moved people long before the interstate highway system existed. But since World War II, these new sprawling roadways have promoted the transportation of people to and from the suburbs so much so that they ultimately widened the social, cultural, and economic gap between those who could afford an automobile and those who could not. In addition, America’s interstate highways have contributed to the growth of many of the country’s most iconic cultural phenomena: the shopping mall, the motel, the diner, fast food,

the drive-in theater, Disneyland, the family car, the muscle car, and even rock ‘n’ roll culture. It’s the rise of the suburbs that ties all of these things together and by learning more about the development of “suburbia” we can learn how. By exploring the history of suburbia and the interstate highway system, we might realize that not much has changed. In many ways these developments have laid the foundation for the American present. But it was not always a smooth ride, and in many ways the history of American suburbs and highways is marred by political, social, racial, and environmental controversy. As a result, many of us may have negative preconceived notions about “suburbia.” (These ideas have been reinforced by popular images in film and television. Remember The Stepford Wives, or Edward Scissorhands? How about “Desperate Housewives”?) Where exactly do these notions of “suburbia”—as a place of conformity, complacency, conservatism, boredom, and racism—come from? Are these notions largely fact or fiction? And how does “suburbia” fit into our conception of America? Does it contradict the nation’s essential values, or is it truly a very “American” sort of thing?

18 Nationwide, land consumed for building far outpaces population growth. Urban areas expand at about twice the rate the population is growing. Population growth is clearly a bigger sprawl factor in the South and the West than the Midwest and Northeast, particularly along the Atlantic coast.

SUBURBIA 1950 In 1929, the stock market crash set into motion a series of economic crises known as the Great Depression. Bank closures, skyrocketing inflation, sweeping unemployment, and mortgage foreclosures left millions desperate, hungry, and homeless. Vast segments of the American population were unable to make mortgage payments (let alone purchase groceries) and sought shelter wherever and however they could— in barns, train cars, chicken coops, packing crates, and grain silos. Many found it difficult to comprehend the magnitude of the problem. The nation’s leaders, on a quest to stabilize the economy during hard times and to ensure the future of the country, sought to remedy the country’s housing needs. They often disagreed on the best way to achieve this goal, but all agreed that decent, affordable housing and better access to home ownership would provide the foundation for a stable society. Through his New Deal programs, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created a number of government agencies aimed at helping citizens find employment, easing the strain of inflation, and assisting property holders and prospective home buyers in obtaining manageable loans. Though the New Deal did not end the Great Depression and did not alleviate unemployment or homelessness, Roosevelt’s administration did set a significant precedent for the future of real estate development, and— perhaps more importantly— made the “American Dream” of home ownership accessible to many more average citizens than ever before.

The American Dream slowly began to shift and take a new form in the 1950s. People had new and bigger dreams; they wanted a big house with a yard, a car, a dog, two kids and the perfect nuclear family. Communities as they were being developed started small and were a great place to raise a family. The suburbs, as the new developments and communities were called, acted as a resting place outside of busy life in the city. The men still worked in the cities generally and they would meet the milkman outside their doorstep as they grabbed the newspaper off the front porch steps before heading out to the office. Women generally stayed home to take care of the house and the children. Roles were split and that was that. That was life. Suburban developments at their inception were beautiful, active, friendly communities, much like smaller, less intimidating cities themselves. People knew each other and their business, they sat out on the porch to read the hand delivered newspaper as they drank their morning coffee. Everything was pretty close, as the sprawl was somewhat limited at that time. Children played in the streets without a care in the world and parents let them, rather, they encouraged them to play at the park down the street. There was a sense of community. Generally the â&#x20AC;&#x153;downtownâ&#x20AC;? area of the suburbs was a community gathering place, perhaps a local diner or convenience store. Much of the community was built around what was immediate and available. Looking back, life seemed so much simpler back then.

There were no computers, no email, television was just getting popular, there were less cars on the road and life was just easy. After World War II, the American economic landscape changed dramatically. Manufacturing and employment demands created by war mobilization transformed the Depression into an economic boom. With rising birthrates and falling unemployment during the war, the average American family grew along with its coffers. By 1945, the nation had recovered from the Great Depression and millions of Americans—upper, middle, and working-class—were in a position, at last, to purchase two items that seemed crucial for achieving the “American Dream”: a car and a home. While auto makers furnished plenty of new vehicles to satisfy the desires of postwar Americans, the demand for housing in the mid-1940s greatly outstripped the supply. With the economic boom created by wartime manufacturing, the federal government and American entrepreneurs were in a position (and under pressure) to meet that tremendous demand; and they did so rapidly and efficiently, though not always equitably. From the start, the Levitt development was racially segregated; a “restrictive covenant” in the original rental agreement, which migrated to the sales agreement, stipulated that houses could not be rented or sold to any but members of the “Caucasian” race. This covenant conformed to federal

Perhaps the most successful—and most iconic—of all those involved in the development of postwar housing was the Levitt & Sons enterprise. In the late 1940s, Abraham Levitt and his two sons bought 4,000 acres of farmland, built the largest tract of private houses the nation had ever seen, and changed the American landscape forever. Levittown in Long Island, New York, became a model of suburban building in both form and

23 requirements that developers using FHA funding had to maintain the “racial homogeneity” of their developments (see image below).

function. With staggering speed and efficiency, the Levitts produced affordable homes that not only helped grow the nation’s housing supply, but also satisfied the American masses who sought both comfort and style, practicality and luxury. Levittown created a new face of America, the cookie cutter, vanilla, Pleasantville facade that became all the rave. America was the Land of the Free and free meant space, all the space you wanted. All you had to do was move outside the city to the open land and start developing. It was all the rave. Everyone was doing it. That ideal stuck with Americans as the decades flew by. The more space you had, the happier you were or could be. Suburban landscapes became the familiar and the comfortable.

Only well after the 1954 racial integration decisions, including Brown v. Board of Education, was Levittown racially integrated, and even as late as the 1990 census only a tiny fraction of the community was non-white, a stigma that still exists till this day.

SUBURBIA TODAY The suburbs today have taken on a whole new look and feel, very different from the 1950s. Over the past five or six decades, the suburbs have transformed into strip malls, busy streets filled with cars, parking lots full of cars, traffic, endless construction and strangers. People don’t take the time to get to know one another, life is more about the pace and efficiency of things. The faster the better, the simpler the better, the less interaction time the better. This is the case everywhere, not just Suburbia. Perhaps the suburbs get a bad rap because they have become a bit of a scapegoat for us as Americans. We see all the bad things that the sprawl has done, traffic congestion, pollution, parking lots, noise, frustration and road rage, but we seem to easily forget that it was a process to get here, where we are today. A move from the city to the suburbs used to signal prosperity for American families. But in 2005, the number of poor suburbanites outnumbered poor people in cities by 1 million for the first time. That startling statistic is part of a new report that examines poverty trends in the first part of the decade.

The suburbs have sprawled out and taken up much of the available land in once rural communities. New houses are constantly being built, bigger and better than the last. Tract homes, circular, closed off neighborhoods with gates, guards and security infiltrate the suburbs. Houses all begin to look the same, cookie cutter houses with no character or individuality. They have been coined “McMansions”, a pejorative term for a large new house which is judged as pretentious, tasteless, or badly designed for its neighborhood. These neighborhoods of McMansions symbolize America in its glory. They’re big, they’re uniformed and they have expensive and ridiculous security. But in the 1990s, the consumer began to change. The so-called Millennials, raised on urban entertainment like Seinfeld and Friends, want something other than car-dependent suburbia.

OUR FUTURE CAN HOLD WHATEVER

WANT IT TO,

26 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a strange phenomenon when you see a person walking across a busy intersection in the suburbs. It feels almost unnatural, even though the crosswalk is there for that specific reason, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so rare to see someone actually using it that it makes t a sight to see.

ONLY 27%

OF SUBURBAN HOUSEHOLDS WERE MARRIED COUPLES WITH KIDS, OUTNUMBERED BY YOUNG SINGLES AND THE ELDERLY LIVING ALONE.

ACCORDING TO THE 2000 CENSUS,

BECA What they want, but find in short supply, is walkable urbanism. The dearth of walkable urban options has resulted in huge price premiums in such areas, even those that were slums 30 years ago—a process otherwise known as gentrification. These places have held their value in the housing meltdown, while fringe suburbs have collapsed. When the smoke clears, it might be that this financial nightmare was sparked by building too much of the wrong product—i.e., drivable suburban developments—on the outskirts of our metro areas, the next slums. Perhaps James Kunstler said it best when he said, “The suburbs have three destinies, none of them exclusive: as materials salvage, as slums, and as ruins”. The Washington, D.C., area is a model for where America is heading, with about six significant walkable urban places per million people. And most of these places are in the suburbs: There is Dupont Circle, but also Reston, Virginia, and Bethesda, Maryland. In Los Angeles metro, there are currently 13 to 15

HAVE

POWE

CHAN

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E THE

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walkable urban places; there will probably be 20 to 30 more before long, representing tens of billions of dollars of development. Where will they be? Mostly in the suburbs, following the ever-expanding rail system (Kotkin). So this does not mean the imminent death of the suburbs. It means the transformation of the suburbs. Just because we’ve gone astray in the past doesn’t mean we can’t change the direction of our future. We can have the best of both the eras of the past with their tight knit communities, family bonds and feeling of innocence while taking forward what we’ve learned from our mistakes in the past with the Oil Crisis, dependence on the automobile and pollution. Our future can hold whatever we want it to, because we have the power to change. We can move forward with the technology and research of the past and present and use it for good. We can recreate out communities so that they are once again safe and hold great rewards for future generations.

SUSTAINABILITY & PERMACULTURE Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual’s or society’s use of the Earth’s natural resource and his/her own resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet. Proponents of sustainable living aim to conduct their lives in manners that are consistent with sustainability, in natural balance and respectful of humanity’s symbiotic relationship with the Earth’s natural ecology and cycles. The practice and general philosophy of ecological living is highly interrelated with the overall principles of sustainable development. Sustainability itself is expressed as meeting present ecological, societal, and economical needs without compromising these factors for future generations. Permaculture is sustainable land use design and is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies. The American suburb as we know it is dying. The implosion began with the housing bust, which started in and has hit hardest the once vibrant neighborhoods outside the urban core. Shopping malls and big-box retail stores, the commercial anchors of the suburbs, are going dark—an estimated 148,000 stores closed last year, the most since 2001 (Walsh). But the shift is deeper than the economic downturn. Thanks to changing demographics, including a steady decline in the percentage of households with kids and a growing preference for urban

amenities among Americans young and old, the suburban dream of the big house with the big lawn is vanishing. The Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech predicts that by 2025 there will be a surplus of 22 million large-lot homes in the U.S. Environmentalists will celebrate the demise of sprawling suburbs, which left the nation addicted to cars. But all the steel, concrete and asphalt that went into making the suburbs can’t simply be tossed out in favor of something new, even if it’s perfectly green. That would be worse. “As much as possible, we need to redirect development to existing communities and infrastructure,” says Kaid Benfield, director of the smart-growth program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Otherwise, we’re just eating up more land and natural resources.” The suburbs need to be remade, and just such a transformation is under way. In regions that were known for some of the worst sprawl in the U.S. Communities have repurposed boarded-up malls as mixed-use developments with retail stores, offices and apartments. In auto-dependent suburbs that were built without a traditional center, shopping malls offer the chance to create downtowns without destroying existing infrastructure, by recycling what’s known as underperforming asphalt. “All of these projects are developer-driven, because the market wants them,” says Ellen Dunham-Jones, a co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia.

32 Not every suburb will make it. The fringes of a suburb like Riverside in Southern California, where housing prices have fallen more than 20% since the bust began, could be too diffuse to thrive in a future where density is no longer taboo. It’ll be the older inner suburbs like Tysons Corner, Va., that will have the mass transit, public space and economic gravity to thrive postrecession. Though creative cities will grow more attractive for empty-nest retirees and young graduates alike, we won’t all be moving to New York. Many Americans will still prefer the space of the suburbs—including the parking spaces. “People want to balance the privacy of the suburbs with more public and social areas,” says Dunham-Jones. But the result will be a U.S. that is more sustainable— environmentally and economically.

“PEOPLE WANT TO BALANCE THE PRIVACY OF THE SUBURBS WITH MORE PUBLIC AND SOCIAL

ENERGY & TRANSPORTATION

Urban Sprawl, a concept which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses, and various design features, encourage car dependency in America. Due to Suburban development, a car-dependent America was born. People are aware today of the Oil Crisis and renewable energy sources, but what can be done to stop the Oil Crisis and find new, sustainable energy sources? It seems like an endless maze.

URBAN SPRAWL By now, we all know that our car-based society is not sustainable (not to mention dehumanizing). Smaller, lighter cars and hybrids can help us reduce the amount of energy used per mile driven and cut down on air pollution and smog, but these are not a solution in themselves, just a small band-aid on a pretty big wound. A larger systemic change has to take place at both ends: From the top, policy makers have to show vision and take tough decisions, and from the bottom, individuals have to put pressure on politicians and rearrange their own lives around a less car-intensive paradigm. High energy costs are accelerating, not driving, the transformation of the suburbs. However, energy costs will only get higher as we address climate change. Fortunately, transforming the suburbs will offer a major solution to climate change and the problem of energy security. Walkable urban households use one-third of the energy and emit one-third of the greenhouse gases of households in car-based suburbia. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing like giving the market what it wants while solving the great challenge of our age.

There are effective ways to curb both sprawl and slow population growth. While slowing population growth is one critical step, it alone isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only answer. We also need to invest more in cleaner public transportation alternatives like trains, invest more in our existing communities rather than subsidizing fringe sprawl to help us rein in suburban sprawl. Cutting subsidies that feed sprawl, reinvesting in existing communities and Smart-growth techniques, such as mixed-use, infill, and transit-oriented development, can channel growth away from open space and sensitive habitat into areas with established infrastructure and existing resources. But no matter how smart the growth or how good the planning, a rapidly growing population can overwhelm a communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best efforts. Access to affordable family planning offers families a proven way to slow population growth. When families have the freedom to choose how many children to have and when

HIGH ENERGY COSTS ARE ACCELERATING, NOT DRIVING, THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SUBURBS. to have them, families tend to be smaller and healthier. Women who have access to reproductive health care and family planning are better equipped to protect their health and the health of their families. Access to quality family planning programs truly is a win-win situation for the environment.

Notice the term “accelerating” rather than “driving”. In the context of driving, a destination has been determined whereas with accelerating, the course can still be altered. Take heart, it’s not too late.

NOT IMMINENT THIS DOES

TT DEATH MEAN THE

OF THE SUBURBS...

...IT MEANS THE

TRANSF

FORMATION OF THE SUBURBS.

ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION The side effects of our current transportation dilemma are very apparent; urban as well as rural air quality is worsening, human health issues have become epidemic and our roadways simply cannot and will not sustain current or future traffic levels. The ultimate sustainable transportation solution seeks the root of our transportation problems. In a sustainable world, people will be able to decrease their reliance on automobiles, and sustainable urban and community planning will produce new symptoms: healthy people living in walkable, bikeable communities. Community design that allows people to walk, bike or utilize public transportation to arrive at their local grocery store, bank or workplace is the ultimate goal from which a sustainable transportation system will emerge. Even though the United States is largely car dependent, there are many fun alternative transportation methods available like biking, roller blading and walking. These are great ways to get some exercise, meet your neighbors, and improve your personal and communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health and well being. Taking advantage of public transportation infrastructure in your area or arranging to carpool with co-workers are other options that will not only lessen your ecological foot print and contribute to community building, but these methods will generally save you money. The future of Suburbia is largely dependent upon our dependency on the automobile. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve talked about urban sprawl and its immediate effects of sprawl, but we have yet to focus on the main reason why urban sprawl has become so prevalent. Cars

have become a part of American culture and have also shaped the American Dream. How do we wean ourselves off of the automobile? Perhaps complete removal of the car might be the answer, maybe not, but what about limiting the usage of cars, offering alternative, eco-friendly fuels, limiting cars to distance travel and rationed fuel? How would America function without the personal automobile? Is it possible to change the way we get around? Are we so set in our ways that we are unwilling to give up our convenience in order to save the planet? There has been and continues to be research for alternative fuels. The future of not only Suburbia, or even America, but the entire world, truly depends on how we as a people change our means of transportation and our consumption. Before we find the answer to alternative fuels, because it will come inevitably, whether it comes about because we’ve depleted the world of it’s resources, or we’ve discovered alternative technology, it is important to first understand that we have to change our ways as humans. We simply cannot keep going the way we are, or we’ll end up as you’ve read in Book Two of this series. We are not suggesting that you drop your car and let it rot on the side of the street or in a landfill, but we are suggesting that there are better ways to get about, traveling, while leaving a smaller carbon footprint and brighter future for future generations.

Americans are more likely to work in a suburb, shop in a suburb and attend recreational events in a suburb than in central cities or rural towns.

0.59 MASS

BIKE 0

SOLO

DRIVER ECONOMY (40 MPG)

OR WALK

MASS 0.26 TRANSIT (¾ FULL)

Ranging from walking and biking, the most environmentally friendly method of transportation with zero carbon emissions, to travel by SUV the most environmentally harmful personal travel method, this infographic demonstrates the size the carbon footprint left by each passenger by each travel method.

0.37

CAR

INTER-

CITY CARPOOL TRAIN 3 PEOPLE (21.5 MPG)

0.45

Estimates of future emissions and removals depend in part on assumptions about changes in underlying human activities. For example, the demand for fossil fuels such as gasoline and coal is expected to increase greatly with the predicted growth of the U.S. and global economies.

VISUAL CARBON

FOOTPRINT

CO2 EMISSIONS POUNDS PER PASSENGER

TRANSIT

0.75

(¼ FULL)

CAR

1.10

0.97

Many, but not all, human sources of greenhouse gas emissions are expected to rise in the future. This growth may be reduced by ongoing efforts to increase the use of newer, cleaner technologies and other measures. Additionally, our everyday choices about such things as commuting, housing, electricity use and recycling can influence the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted. Driving releases 20lbs. of carbon dioxide pollution per gallon of gas. Statisitics provided by Sightline Institute, Sprawl & Transportation (2007).

1.57 10 SUV IVER

(15 M PG)

SOLO DRIVER (21.5 MPG)

SOLO DR

(US AVERAGE OCCUPANCY)

ON A SCALE FROM 0 TO 1.60

46 Suburbia is diverse: The majority of Asian Americans, half of Hispanics and 40% of African Americans live in the suburbs. More new immigrants locate in suburbs than in cities.

Public Transportation Development Taking note from the urban developments, public transportation is often a more convenient, inexpensive and environmentally friendly way to travel, not only conserving fuel, decreasing the output of pollution but also creating a smaller-knit community through use and a feeling of empowerment. Public transportation tends to be looked down upon in suburban areas, meant for the poorer populations who canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford to drive, and unfortunately, that has become the main population who uses the public transportation system in the suburbs. But it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be that way. With efforts to increase bus routes, to make them more universal and to provide safe, reliable transportation, it makes a strong argument that taking public transport could be easier overall. And that is what Americans, especially suburbanites respond to, ease of effort and mind.

Straddling Bus China is in the development process of creating a bus that actually straddles existing traffic, creating a second layer of traffic. The Straddling Bus was proposed because of a new height of traffic in China. Although the technology has been proposed for an urban area, it is not a bad idea to test the contraption out in a n environment where it will be used daily. If it is successful in an urban environment, that means, it has the chance to survive in suburban developments. “The word revolutionary is so overused, but this new bus actually is revolutionary” said Mark Shieh, spokesman for the US development of the Straddling Bus. “Relative to the cost of a subway line or other rail transit, our bus delivers extraordinary value. Aside from the low cost, the time for construction is about one third that for a subway.”

Research states that the Straddling Bus could reduce traffic by 20–30% (Wassener).

48 The average suburban household generates thirteen car trips a day.

The Elevated High-Speed Bus would zip passengers above street level, straddling two lanes of traffic to allow vehicles to pass underneath. It would travel either on rails or special painted “guidelines.” Designed to hold hundreds of passengers, the vehicle would have a top speed of almost 50 mph with an average of about 25. The company claims the average speed of a bus in a large city is 12 mph. Shieh claims the high-speed bus is an ultra low-carbon producer and is powered by electricity and solar energy. He also said it will reduce traffic congestion, move a large number of people, and create jobs. High Speed Trains Inspired by successful high-speed train systems worldwide, implementing an electrically-powered high-speed trains will help the meet ever-growing demands on American and suburban transportation infrastructure. High-speed trains will travel at speeds of up to 220 mph, and will interconnect with other transportation alternatives, providing an environmentally friendly option to traveling by plane or car. Bike Ways One of the best ways to make suburban transportation more approachable is to make it’s transportation more accessible. As fun as the Straddling Bus and High Speed Trains are, to create a more realistic transportation system, human power must be the main ingredient. Urban Sprawl has been detrimental in getting people outside, outside of their car or destination. One method of transportation that has been implemented in federal

bills is biking. A community, such as Amsterdam, Copenhagen or Portland, relies heavily on biking as peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main method of transportation. Communities such as this have taken on powerful presences in the world, making a bold statement that cars arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessary. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true that these areas again, are cities, but that just goes to show that if cities can make it work where cars rule the streets, then Suburbia can adopt this as well. The streets of Suburbia are wide, giving generous lane width to cars, and plentiful, perfect for implementing bike lanes and bike paths. Biking not only clears the road of cars, reduces traffic and pollution, but it also provides exercise improving suburban health with such a small step. For many suburban areas, the land is flat and idea for biking. Biking is a healthy, sustainable and family friendly method of transportation that needs to be practiced more regularly in suburban areas. Walkable Communities Walkable communities are desirable places to live, work, learn, worship and play, and therefore a key component of smart growth. Their desirability comes from two factors. First, walkable communities locate within an easy and safe walk goods (such as housing, offices, and retail) and services (such as transportation, schools, libraries) that a community resident or employee needs on a regular basis. Second, by definition, walkable communities make pedestrian activity possible, thus expanding transportation options, and creating a streetscape that better serves a range of users -- pedestrians, bicyclists,

Each additional ten minutes in daily commuting time reduces community involvement by 10% (Thoma).

50 Transforming the suburbs will offer a major solution to climate change and the problem of energy security.

transit riders, and automobiles. To foster walkability, communities must mix land uses and build compactly, and ensure safe and inviting pedestrian corridors. Walkable communities are nothing new. Outside of the last half-century communities worldwide have created neighborhoods, communities, towns and cities premised on pedestrian access. Within the last fifty years public and private actions often present created obstacles to walkable communities. Conventional land use regulation often prohibits the mixing of land uses, thus lengthening trips and making walking a less viable alternative to other forms of travel. This regulatory bias against mixed-use development is reinforced by private financing policies that view mixed-use development as riskier than single-use development. Many communitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;particularly those that are dispersed and largely auto-dependentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;employ street and development design practices that reduce pedestrian activity. As personal and societal benefits of pedestrian friendly communities are realized benefits which include lower transportation costs, greater social interaction, improved personal and environmental health, and expanded consumer choiceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;many are calling upon the public and private sector to facilitate the development of walkable places. Land use and community design plays a pivotal role in encouraging pedestrian environments. By building places with multiple destinations within close proximity, where the streets and sidewalks balance all forms of transportation, communities have the basic framework to encourage walkability.

THE AVERAGE AMERICAN SPENDS

ONE HOUR &

FORTY-ONE

MINUTES IN THEIR CAR EACH DAYâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

A TOTAL OF MORE THAN

THREE WEEKS

EACH YEAR. ...So choose not to be average. Make a conscious effort to change by starting with the small things. Save your time, mental energy and the earth at the same time by choosing another means of transportation that is friendlier to the environment.

UNITED

STATES

IN THE U.S. 54

PERCENT

40 OF TRIPS ARE

02 MILES OR

LESS...

PERCENT 25% Of the United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CO2 emissions come from motor vehicles. Driving releases 20lbs. of CO2 pollution per gallon of gas.

OF THOSE TRIPS ARE

90% BY CAR

BY CAR

IF 1,000,000 PEOPLE REPLACED A 2 MILE CAR TRIP ONCE A WEEK WITH A BIKE RIDE, CO2 EMISSIONS COULD BE REDUCED BY 50,000 TONS

THAT’S RIGHT, READ IT AGAIN

IF 1,000,000 IF ONE OUT PEOPLE OF TEN CAR REPLACED ACOMMUTERS 2 MILE CARSWITCHED TO TRIP ONCE A A BIKE, CO2 WEEK WITH AEMISSIONS BIKE RIDE, COWOULD BE 2 EMISSIONS REDUCED BY COULD BE 25.4 MILLION REDUCED BY TONS PER 50,000 TONS YEAR. PER YEAR. MAKE THE CHANGE. MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

HEALTH

It is possible to live healthy in the suburbs and there are simple ways to start with small changes. The first and most important factor in having a healthier lifestyle is maintaining an active lifestyle. Exercising regularly is important in keeping you healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. The second most important part that leads to a healthier lifestyle is diet. The combination of exercise and a proper diet is the best way to increase personal health. There have been many studies on the effects of suburban living

SPRAWL & HEALTH Health is not just physical health, although that is an important and rather large portion of health, there is much more to being “healthy” than exercise. Health encompasses everything from physical health to psychological health to emotional health. Many factors come into play when the broader scope is considered, such as pollution, traffic, stress, relationships, activity levels, human interaction, time to play, time to relax, family values, jobs, school, food and many more. It would seem that almost everything you do or think about plays into your health somehow. It is important to consider this is your daily life. Suburbia is known for it’s unhealthy lifestyle. This can change, and realistically it needs to change before there is no turning back. In the following section you’ll read about walkable communities and community living, very important opportunities for development and improvement on communities, but before we get to community aspects of health, it is important to have some time for self-reflection. What does “healthy” look like? Do you consider yourself “healthy”? Why or why not?

What does “healthy” mean to you? Is health a priority? What are some things that you immediate associate with health? So much of health is about balance and learning to live a balanced lifestyle. As Americans we tend to obsess over the details, that is a general statement of course, but what would life look like if we grew out of unhealthy obsession with diet fads, exercise binges and colonoscopy spas? Could life be less stressful and more enjoyable? A healthy life is a liberated life. So how can you take the small steps to become healthier?

Use the suburban sprawl to your advantage first. Recognize the landscape of the suburbs and what it has to offer. Is the neighborhood spread out with huge, unused sidewalks? Are there bike lanes? Are there opportunities to exercise right outside the front door? Start with a neighborhood walk. Get to know your neighborhood from a new perspective and at a slower pace. Greet neighbors, meet people and forge new connections. Another large factor of health is the community. By building community around you, knowing your neighbors, learning the local walkways and bike paths, by learning the local hot spots and getting to like them and then hopefully love them. This is true for anywhere you live really, but it seems to be harder to access and create in suburban areas simply due to the spread out nature of the land. Get outside. Seems simple enough, right? But so often people refuse to go outside because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a hassle. Journal of Environmental Science and Technology did a study that showed that spending 5 minutes in a natural setting a day can have significantly positive effects on mood and self-esteem. That five minutes might be a quick walk around the block, a glass of lemonade in the backyard or on the porch or even a quick jaunt to the local market. But why stop there, why not extend it to make it a 30-minute walk, a 30-minute jog or bike ride? Getting physical exercise has been proven to increase mood and quality of life greatly. The better health you have, the higher the quality of life and the longer life you live.

THE MORE SPREAD OUT A SUBURB, THE HIGHER THE RATES OF OBESITY, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND WEIGHT-RELATED CHRONIC ILLNESSES, BECAUSE WE DRIVE MORE AND

65 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about centralization of work, life and play, walkability, condensing the existing space to a comfortable and sustainable level. Sprawl is not healthy and there is something we can do about it.

LOCAVORE CULTURE Suburbia has been defined by sprawling waistlines and inactive lifestyle in the previous book, but it is not 100% true. There are of course areas of the suburbs that are less active than others, and yes, there is research and facts stating that the suburbs breed unhealthy people and it is impossible to be environmentally friendly while living in the suburbs. But what you don’t see a lot of is encouragement and support to push the trends the opposite way. The locavore movement is a movement in the United States and elsewhere that spawned as interest in sustainability and eco-consciousness become more prevalent. Those who are interested in eating food that is locally produced, not moved long distances to travel to the market, are called “locavores.”

One reason that urbanites often claim better health than most suburbanites is because they often choose to be a locavore, or more simply, to live local. Meaning that they purchase goods that are local, generally fresher produce that is in season, meats and products that don’t take a lot of gas or pollution to get from the crop to the store. Creating a smaller carbon footprint is a huge part of living local. In order to live better and to breath fresher air, it is important to reduce the amount of pollution as much as possible.

It is rendered “locavore” by some, depending on regional differences, usually. The food may be grown in home gardens or grown by local commercial groups interested in keeping the environment as clean as possible and selling food close to where it is grown. Some people consider food grown within a 100mile radius of their location local, while others have other definitions.

The locavore movement thrives in urban areas because it is simply easier to eat locally because often times, much more is available locally because of local trade and a thriving environment that lives off of networking and creativity. Living locally in the suburbs may seem impossible at first, but there are ways to make an impact and to start eating locally. You can do it by not buying from huge chain stores and supporting local farmers, local artists, local boutiques, local markets and small businesses. Supporting those around you always comes back

67 The 100-Mile Diet is about learning by doing. Getting to know the seasons. Understanding where our food comes from, and at what risk to our health and to the environment. Sorting out how we all ended up eating apples that taste like cardboard and cakes made with petrochemicals. It was a challenge, but a good one—a genuine adventure. There are places where it’s easier and places where it’s harder, but with a little planning, local eating is never impossible.

SAN FRANCISCO,

CALIFORNIA

UKIAH POINT ARENA PLACERVILLE MERCED GONZALES PACIFIC OCEAN

to you. If you support the local businesses, they in turn will support you and the word gets around. Start reading labels of foods. You can take First 3 (Last 3) for example, a great way to make the task of picking the right food in the market an activity that you can take part in with your kids. Make up your own parameters of what you think should be—or not be—in the first three ingredients. High fructose corn stuff? Modified food by-products? Reconstituted this or that? Should you be able to at least pronounce the last three ingredients? It’s an easy step to get anyone more familiar with what they’re eating and what is going into their bodies. Locavore culture breeds a sense of pride in ones own community and an awareness that is inspiring and life changing. Take some time to learn more about the damages that large chain stores do to the environment just by transporting goods. The amount of waste, pollution and by-product that many large conglomerates produce is awful but people just aren’t aware of the damages already done. What’s done has been done, but the future is still to be determined. The next step, after deciding to live as locally as possible to reduce your carbon footprint is to truly live locally. Walk places that are within walkable distance. Bike places that are too far to walk. Lessen your own carbon footprint and take care of your environment. Whether that means changing your diet with one ingredient at a time, which is a great way to start, or you make drastic changes that can impact the greater environment,

SMALL STEPS

MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.

IF WE AREN’T WILLING TO

START SMALL AND TAKE CARE OF THE SMALL STUFF,

BIG STUFF WE’LL NEVER CHANGE THE

community and world. We’ve discussed alternative transportation methods, take it to heart to challenge yourself to ride your bike more throughout the week for small trips to the grocery or to pick up the dry cleaning. Small steps make all the difference in the world. If we aren’t willing to start small and take care of the small stuff, we’ll never advance to take care of the big stuff. Everyone can make a difference!

WHYEAT

1. TASTE THE DIFFERENCE.

5. DISCOVER NEW FLAVORS.

At a farmers’ market, most local produce has been picked inside of 24 hours. It comes to you ripe, fresh, and with its full flavor, unlike supermarket food that may have been picked weeks or months before. Close-to-home foods can also be bred for taste, rather than withstanding the abuse of shipping or industrial harvesting. Many of the foods we ate on the 100-Mile Diet were the best we’d ever had.

Ever tried sunchokes? How about purslane, quail eggs, yerba mora, or tayberries? These are just a few of the new (to us) flavors we sampled over a year of local eating. Our local spot prawns, we learned, are tastier than popular tiger prawns. Even familiar foods were more interesting. Count the types of pear on offer at your supermarket. Maybe three? Small farms are keeping alive nearly 300 other varieties–while more than 2,000 more have been lost in our rush to sameness.

2. KNOW WHAT YOU’RE EATING. Buying food today is complicated. What pesticides were used? Is that corn genetically modified? Was that chicken free range or did it grow up in a box? People who eat locally find it easier to get answers. Many build relationships with farmers whom they trust. And when in doubt, they can drive out to the farms and see for themselves. 3. MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS. Local eating is social. Studies show that people shopping at farmers’ markets have 10 times more conversations than their counterparts at the supermarket. Join a community garden and you’ll actually meet the people you pass on the street.

6. EXPLORE YOUR HOME. Visiting local farms is a way to be a tourist on your own home turf, with plenty of stops for snacks. 7. SAVE THE WORLD. A study in Iowa found that a regional diet con sumed 17 times less oil and gas than a typical diet based on food shipped across the country. The ingredients for a typical British meal, sourced locally, traveled 66 times fewer “food miles.” Or we can just keep burning those fossil fuels and learn to live with global climate change, the fiercest hurricane seasons in history, wars over resource

4. GET IN TOUCH WITH THE SEASONS.

8. SUPPORT SMALL FARMS.

When you eat locally, you eat what’s in season. You’ll remember that cherries are the taste of summer. Even in winter, comfort foods like squash soup and pancakes just make sense–a lot more sense than flavorless cherries from the other side of the world.

We discovered that many people from all walks of life dream of working the land–maybe you do too. In areas with strong local markets, the family farm is reviving. That’s a whole lot better than the jobs at Wal-Mart and fast-food outlets that the globalized economy offers in North American towns.

OCAL? 9. GIVE BACK TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY. A British study tracked how much of the money spent at a local food business stayed in the local economy, and how many times it was reinvested. The total value was almost twice the contribution of a dollar spent at a supermarket chain. 10. BE HEALTHY. Everyone wants to know whether the 100-Mile Diet worked as a weight-loss program. Well, yes, we lost a few pounds apiece. More importantly, though, we felt better than ever. We ate more vegetables and fewer processed products, sampled a wider variety of foods, and ate more fresh food at its nutritional peak. Eating from farmers’ markets and cooking from scratch, we never felt a need to count calories. 11. CREATE MEMORIES. A friend of ours has a theory that a night spent making jam–or in his case, perogies–with friends will always be better a time than the latest Hollywood blockbuster. We’re convinced. 12. HAVE MORE FUN WHILE TRAVELING. Once you’re addicted to local eating, you’ll want to explore it wherever you go. On a trip to Mexico, earth-baked corn and hot-spiced sour oranges led us away from the resorts and into the small towns. Somewhere along the line, a mute magician gave us a free show over bowls of lime soup in a little cantina. From the 100-Mile Diet http://100milediet.org/why-eat-local

COMMUNITY

Suburban life was initially all about living in a community of people who thought and lived like you. After WWII the population of suburban America was mostly middle class, white people who had children. Since the 1950s, as weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen in the previous books, life has changed in the suburbs of America. No longer are communities based around families and no longer is the population middle class white America. The popluation is varied and the income is varied even more.

WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS Most anyone can afford to live in the Suburbs because there is such a wide range of housing available. There is subsidized government housing for low income families and there are the uber rich McMansion owners. So how to we return to a community based Suburbia? In this book so far we’ve talked about alternative transportation methods and the health of suburbia, ways to make Suburbia more user friendly with public transportation, bikeways and local eating and living. All of those are great and necessary in order to change the future of Suburbia, but what really needs to be addressed and changed in order for the future of Suburbia to be positive and self-sustaining is to address the community aspect. Suburbia is a land of strangers, spread out throughout the land, keeping to themselves and doing what they see fit for themselves. What would the suburbs looks like if the community aspect were the most important? Is it possible to bring people back together and to have community spaces where people actually use them? In short, yes. The realistic future of Suburbia doesn’t have to be grim, it can be positive much like Dubner’s quote at the beginning of this book, “So how will the suburbs look in 40 years? It depends on how smart and bold we are willing to be.” We have the power to change the future. Yet we need to be “we” again. Life has become all about “me” and “my”, so the first shift needs to be a more general focus and inclusion of everyone so that people begin to think of the suburbanites as “we” and “our”.

One of the key opportunities in Suburbia is the ability to create and develop community spaces. Multi-use spaces, such as first floor retail stores and second and third floor housing could literally change the way communities are born and developed. Creating or redeveloping communities and offer all the amenities of community living within walking distance is one of the keys to creating a sustainable suburban community. Walkable communities not only provide centered areas of interest where markets, gardens, coffee shops, restaurants and retail are, but jobs are then located within walking distance which also means that people have the opportunity and motivation to better their health with exercise and an active lifestyle. Walkable communities are thriving, livable, sustainable places that give their residents safe transportation choices and improved quality of life. Large and small cities, neighborhoods, school districts, parks and roadway corridors offer improved transportation efficiency and create whole, healthy, socially engaged, happy lives. Increased walkability also helps improve resource responsibility, safety, physical fitness and social interaction. Walkable communities are the oldest, and until quite recently, the only towns or cities in the world. Walkable Communities are designed around the human foot, truly the only template that can lead to sustainability and future community prosperity.

76 Creating open and inviting community spaces is a great way to get people together and to create a more complete and interactive community that lives together and thrives off of each other.

Walkable communities bring to light the idea of sustainable transportation (walking, biking and alternative fuels or electric public transportation) as well as living streets which in turns becomes more inviting for self-powered transportation and opportunity for community shared spaces such as parks, plazas, and pedestrian corridors. With more people walking and biking, less people will be driving promoting less traffic, less congestion, less pollution, less parking needed (providing space for even more community spaces or redevelopment of parking lots into garden spaces), lowered stress levels and a happier, healthier lifestyle. Who wouldn’t want that? Who wouldn’t want less parking lots and paved lots, less big lots superstores and more parks, gardens and locally owned businesses who take care of their neighbors. Much like Ellen Dunham-Jones said, “People want to balance the privacy of the suburbs with more public and social areas”.

COMMUNITY LIVING With the loss of community areas everywhere (notice not just Suburbia) we have lost the idea and concept of relationship. We avoid unneccessary human contact if at all possible. We would rather go to the ATM than go inside the bank. We would rather buy clothing online than having to actually go to the store and look for it. We have become lazy as a society. America and the suburbs are not to blame for this, they have become the scapegoat becuase the massive amounts of people that living in the suburbs do this, but so does everyone else. So how do we restore relationships? By taking small steps. By living in a suburban community it is possible to stay local, buy local and support your local businesses. The more that a community can be self-sustaining and be able to thrive on its own through repeat customers and local business, the more approachable a community will be. By supporting local businesses, you can make a difference and help to make living local a real possibility. The more each community can support itself, build relationships that benefit both sides and rely on one another, the more successful a community can be. So, like I’ve said before, live local, support local businesses and you will benefit. The more your mentality of “I” becomes “we” and your “my” becomes “our”, the closer you are to healthy community living. I realize that this may be my idea of a great way to live, but it might take more to get you on my side. Research and pilot communities have been launched all over the United States to test these ideas and to see how people are reacting to them. The following is a study done in McKinney, Texas started in 2008.

RETROFITING SUBURBIA WITH NEIGHBORHOOD HUBS BY PROJECTS FOR PUBLIC SPACES (PPS) Multi-Use Spaces, Community Projects, Squares, Transportation McKinney, TX (2008-Present) Client: SALVO

Innovative concept for a neighborhood hub in suburban communities Community visioning workshop Public space management and amenity plan

In 2008, the Dallas-based development company, SALVO, came to PPS with an idea for a new multi-use destination concept intended to provide much-needed gathering spaces and neighborhood services in the sprawling Dallas suburbs, where people are often driving 30 minutes to buy basics. These small activity hubs, to be built on commercial corners in the midst of typical suburban neighborhoods, are designed to self-sustain through the incorporation of concealed self-storage. The building’s outer perimeters and second floor are designed to act as incubator space for local businesses and entrepreneurs, to offer locallyowned restaurants and convenience shops, and to provide vital indoor and outdoor gathering places for community events and social occasions. SALVO hired PPS to help frame the broader concept and to help identify potential public uses for a pilot “Appleseed Project” in the outskirts of McKinney, Texas, a rapidly-growing

area with little to no mixed use development, and already well provided with strip malls and big box stores. PPS facilitated a community visioning workshop with members of the McKinney community, helping them focus on the Power of 10â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the need to have 10 places and 10 things to do in each place to create a destination that brings people together. Based on participant feedback, PPS developed a report detailing suggested activities for the development, as well as a recommendation to provide work opportunities for teenagers, space for local artists to display their work and places for the community to gather for special events. PPS also recommended sidewalk and street crossing improvements, and ways to optimize public transit surrounding the development, to provide access to children, seniors and caregivers without cars, as well as flexible parking that can be used for temporary events like farmers markets and concerts. PPS also worked with the project designers to ensure that the public spaces are flexible and complementary to a wide variety of uses and activities. Once close to completion, PPS will hold community visioning workshops on-site as well as design a series of public management teams to help program and manage this and future complexes and projects.

MULTI-USE SPACES The concept of multi-use spaces is not new not is it entirely innovative, but in Suburbia it’s quite the novel concept. Instead of building out and building big, the idea is to build, rebuild or restructure, an existing space or structure up. I am not saying that the suburbs will all become highrise structures, although that is one possibility of the new urbanism and urbanization of the suburbs, but rather I’m reiterating what research already shows. The sprawl of Suburbia is detrimental not only to the environment because of roads, cars, traffic, pollution, etc. but also because the centers are spread further and further apart. Community living and walkable communities has been addressed, but how do we apply it? By creating multi-use and multi-functional spaces, the sprawl is lessened as well as redirected. Growth is focused where construction has already taken place, perhaps in old abandoned warehouses or an empty stip mall. What would the suburbs look like if instead of building out to oblivion, redeveloping the rundown areas to be like new? What if the old abandoned warehouse was turned into an inside garden and warehouse with solar panels on the roof? What if the rooftop was split in half and there was a community patio up top with a local coffee supplier? What if the roof was a garden that provided the market with its fresh produce? What if the boutiques along Main Street had apartments above them that were within walking distance to restaurants, coffeeshops and markets? What would that look like? Intriguing isn’t it. A perfect place to live, right? It’s possible. Chapter five will delve into this idea further.

SUBURBAN REPAIR KIT

The last chapter of this book is dedicated to those that want to make a difference. Suburbia can change its future and here are a few ideas and glimpses at what is being done and what Suburbia of tomorrow could look like. In 2009 Dwell Magazine and Inhabitat. com announced the first ever Reburbia competition: a design competition dedicated to re-envisioning the suburbs. The following pages are the submissions of that contest. Innovative inspirations.

RESTAURANT REPAIR Designed by Galina Tahchieva With the current housing crisis, the sub-prime mortgage meltdown, and rising energy costs, the future of suburbia looks bleak. Suburban communities in central California, Arizona and Florida are desolate and decaying, with for sale and foreclosure signs dotting many lawns. According to the US Census, about 90% of all metropolitan growth occurred in suburban communities in the last ten years. Urbanites who loathe the freeways, big box stores and bland aesthetics stereotypical of suburbia may secretly root for the end of sprawl, but demographic trends indicate that exurban growth is still on the rise. In a future where limited natural resources will force us to find better solutions for density and efficiency, what will become of the cul-de-sacs, cookie-cutter tract houses and generic strip malls that have long upheld the diffuse infrastructure of suburbia? How can we redirect these existing spaces to promote sustainability, walkability, and community? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a problem that demands a visionary design solution and we want you to create the vision!

STRIP MALL REBUILT The contest challenged all future-forward architects, urban designers, renegade planners and imaginative engineers to show them how the suburbs would be re-invented. What would a McMansion become if it weren’t a single-family dwelling? How could a vacant big box store be retrofitted for agriculture? What sort of design solutions can you come up with to facilitate car-free mobility, ‘burbgrown food, and local, renewable energy generation? We want to see how you’d design future-proof spaces and systems using the suburban structures of the present, from small-scale retrofits to large-scale restoration—the wilder the better! This set of simple infill techniques represents a sprawl repair toolkit to retrofit the 3 building prototypes that define Suburbia, the Restaurant Pad, Strip Malls, and Gas Station. These iconic detached structures and their parcels, via modest interventions, have the potential to contribute to a more diverse, cohesive urban fabric within a walkable and identifiable public realm. Rather than being demolished, these existing buildings are re-purposed and/or lined with

GAS STATION EXTENSION new structures using renewable technologies and energy-efficient practices, often taking advantage of Suburbiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s typically excessive setbacks and parking lots. A drive-through restaurant pad becomes part of a main street, but largely concealed from it, with perimeter liner buildings added along the edges of its parking lot. A strip center is converted into a recycling center with a green roof and 2 side-wings with solar panels framing a courtyard that reaches to the sidewalk. A gas station remains in place while growing a two-story corner store-office extension at a busy intersection to help screen it.

CONVERT PARKING LOTS TO FARMS Designed by The Miller // Hull Partnership This Bumper Crop is a soil-less farm irrigated with reclaimed waste water and suspended above the strip mall parking lot to shade the ground plane and reverse the heat-island effect. By means of a membrane bioreactor, reclaimed water from the city sewer main supplies the overhead crop with nutrient-rich irrigation water creating an oasis in the asphalt desert. Land currently used for parking only is reclaimed for urban agricultural production thereby preserving undeveloped land and repairing the ecosystems that have been sacrificed for soil-based agriculture. By repurposing its back edge to address the parking lot and the alley, the strip mall becomes accessible by foot for the adjacent residential community. Up-zoning the residential properties adjacent to the strip mall alley allows for live-work structures to promote small business opportunities within walking distance of homes. The vacant alley, a virtual no mans land, is transformed into a vital pedestrian link. The transition from commercial to residential is eased and the pedestrian is invited to reclaim the strip mall site.

THE FUTURE OF

SUBURBIA THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS. INSPIRE CHANGE.

CLOSING COMMENTS The future of Suburbia is not lost yet, with collective efforts we can change. The word Suburbia has had such a negative connotation in the United States over the last 50 years mostly due to the negative effects it’s had on the American people and the environment. Many of the critiques are warranted and likely deserved, but that is not to say that all is lost in regards to the future of Suburbia. With the “nothing will ever change” attitude, nothing will ever change, but people are coming forward all over the world stating that they see the problem with the suburbs, not just in America, and they want to see change. Many people will take offense to this series of books. Quite understandable really, since most readers will have some experience or attachment to suburban America. However, the series is not meant to offend but rather to ignite interest and perhaps provoke anger for change. We hope that people will see and read these books, gawk at the statistics and swear it’s not true. If this is the reaction you’ve had, then we’ve succeeded. Our goal is not to tell you that you’re bad for living in the suburbs or that your parents, grandparents and families are evil for living in the sprawl of the America. It is what it is, and people will live where they want, that’s just the fact of life. Our goal then is to open eyes to the present reality of the suburbs and the two possible futures. There is the negative future (book two) if nothing changes, we will run out of fuels and eventually revert back to pre-historic times where we have no electricity, running water, computers, cars and iphones. The picture painted in book two is quite drastic because in reality, if nothing changes this can and will happen.

That’s why we end with this last book. We hope that with this last book we can get the point across that it’s not too late. Suburbia is heading in a downward spiral but that does not mean that it has to keep going that direction. The suburbs make up over 50% of housing in the United States, people aren’t going to up and move just because of this book. By igniting interest in the current state of the suburbs we hope people will begin to make small changes. Start small and work your way up. Any progress is good progress. In development there is not staying in place, we are either moving forward, toward creating a bright, sustainable and community centered Suburbia or we’re moving backwards, getting sucked into the vortex of doom. The choice is yours. Well, it’s ours, collectively, really. The pressue is on you and me to make the change. By creating sustainable living environments we can begin to ensure a healthy and bright future for future generations. You can make a difference.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Research and statistics about the Suburbs 1.

“100 Mile Diet: Local Eating for Global Change » Why Eat Local?” 100 Mile Diet. Web. <http://100milediet.org/why-eatlocal>.

BLDG BLOG. 2004. Web. <http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/>.

“City Lab Project.” CityLAB. UCLA - Department of Architecture and Urban Design, 2006. Web. <http://citylab.aud.ucla. edu/10kpacoima.html>.

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HOPE

THERE IS STILL

BECAUSE

WE HAVE THE POWER TO

CHANGE Ultimately, the war against suburbia reflects a radical new vision of American life which, in the name of community and green values, would reverse the democratizing of the landscape that has characterized much of the past 50 years. There is still hope.