sprawl
« Previous EntriesApartment living and women’s empowerment
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009Back when North American metropolitan areas were laid out, in suburbs connected by freeways, women typically stayed home to raise the 3.9 children that was typical for a woman to have in 1961.
The entire metro area design evolved interconnected with this dominant idea about womanhood as motherhood. Suburbs detached from work areas; malls and shopping […]
Can America be America without sprawl?
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009Spreading out into the suburbs allowed Americans to continue a number of long-standing cultural threads taught to them about their nation’s past. Many Americans may therefore not easily change and relocate to communities of higher density living.
Europeans came to the United States in the 17th through 19th centuries for several reasons. These included wanting to […]
Stimulus and Suburbia
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009A number of urbanista bloggers have expressed disappointment with President Obama’s stimulus package and its focus on road infrastructure over transit (and tax cuts over transit).
As vehicle miles are declining and dense urban areas gentrifying, advocating for better transit certainly makes sense from a long-term planning perspective.
However, I think there is a good argument to […]
Is Congress bailing out suburbia?
Thursday, September 25th, 2008There’s a lot going on this week in Washington DC and the economy. It’s challenging to follow all the strands and interpret the econo-speak and political-speak in terms of what it actually means in the big picture.
I may be off base here, but could one not interpret the current plans as bailing out the suburban […]
The planet vs cities and sprawl
Saturday, September 6th, 2008Much ink and webpage space has been devoted to celebrating the world’s “new” urbanism. We talk about city-living as if it were the invention of the current generations. We talk about our cities and urban and suburban spaces as if they will always be there.
Two articles this week remind us that the planet and the […]
Telecommuting is so ex-urban
Saturday, August 16th, 2008Sure, working from home occasionally can offer a productivity boost. Getting away from the phone and co-workers is sometimes necessary to accomplish large, solitary projects or catch up on a dozen loose ends.
But everyone working from home, connecting via the internet and VOIP or video conference to each other is not going to happen. As […]
From Suburb to Satellite City
Thursday, August 7th, 2008Writing in the Globe and Mail, John Bently Mays insists that some suburbs are thriving:
If pundits are going to discuss the future of North American suburbs — and this is surely an excellent time to do so — then they should have in mind a clear picture of the very dynamic phenomenon they are […]
End of the Megalopolis?
Friday, June 27th, 2008What if the costs of operating an automobile permanently reach or exceed $10 per gallon and alternative fuels cannot offer any savings just an alternative?
Then, we may see the end of the Megalopolis — although not the end of the mega-region.
On CBC’s The National Wednesday night a person interviewed (James Kunstler, I believe) in Kelly […]
The end of the car-tropolis?
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008Will the car-tropolis come to an end? Or will America’s suburban style of living survive peak oil. A few weeks ago I suggested that current gasoline prices will not bring down American suburbia. I still believe this. At current prices in the US, people could buy more fuel efficient vehicles and continue the lifestyle […]
Book Review: The Concrete Dragon
Thursday, June 5th, 2008The Concrete Dragon: China’s Urban Revolution and What it Means for the World by Thomas J. Campanella
Reviewed by guest blogger, Dave Atkins.
Thomas Campanella’s book is a timely, eye-opening analysis of the wrenching urban revolution transforming China. Written in a clear, conversational tone, but packed with data and anecdotal stories that demonstrate the author’s insight into […]