Discuss the link between suburbanization and the car. What are the pros and cons of suburbanization and car dependency? Provid

1

Suburbs

Homogeneity; uniformity

Cookie-cutter homes, “artificial”

The “suburban” way of life and social class

Education

Social activities

Job prospects

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6 Factors for Postwar suburban boom

1. Gov’t. policies

Directly subsidized suburban growth

VA loans made mortgage loans available to veterans at low rates

Loans obtained with no money down and 25 year repayment schedule

Prior to this, mortgages commonly required 50% down, for 5 years with a balloon payment at the end

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) program

Made loans to non-veterans

Gov’t guaranteed housing

Loan banks started competing to provide loans to middle and lower mid class families that otherwise would have been ignored

Required communities to be “homogeneous areas”

Reinforcing the ideology of racial segregation

3

Gov’t subsidized out-movement

2. Gov’t subsidized out-movement

Financed the construction of a system of metropolitan expressways

Interstate freeway system – greatest public works program in the history of the world

Federal gov’t. paid 90% of construction costs

City mayors pushed to have the freeways cut through their cities in order to bring shoppers downtown

Brought people in but also allowed people to move out and drive in

4

Cities could not annex

3. In eastern and N.E. sections of the country, almost all land within legal boundaries of the city had already been developed by 1950’s

Most obvious and most overlooked factor in explaining suburban growth

Most established cities couldn’t annex, all additional growth of the urban area would have to be suburban growth

Most available open land, by definition was suburban

5

Cheaper housing cost

4. Cheaper cost of housing compared to central cities

City housing shortage, rising costs

New families went to suburbs not to escape the city but because of cheaper housing costs

Taxes were generally lower, initial front end cost of housing were frequently lower and easier to finance

6

Demographic changes

5. Demographic changes

Marriage boom, post WWII

Baby boom

Postwar = approx. 10M new households were created

New city housing had not been built in decades, existing housing overcrowded

Young couples with children forced toward suburbs

Not welcome as renters in city apartments

Could not afford city houses

7

Preferences

6. Preference – space, privacy, independence

Survey data show decisively that most Americans prefer the newer single family houses on their own lots; commonly found in suburbs

Cookie cutter homes, “little boxes all in a row” – still a cheaper, faster way to build single family homes

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Categories of suburbs:

Ethnic and religious variation

Suburban ethnic enclaves

High income suburbs

E.g. Beverly Hills, OC

Characterized not by housing style but by lifestyle and demographic patterns

Affluence is the main factor

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Profile of suburban dwellers:

Nuclear family

Husband, wife, 2-3 children, a pet (usually a dog or cat)

Middle-class

Skilled worker, some education

Owns at least one car