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Much of this has to do with our leaders and our government. If our government had supported mass transit as the governments of Europe and other places do, then we would have more build up areas near those lines and a denser pattern. Also, we refused as a nation for a long time to invest in our cities with both crime prevention, education, and health-care issues. All of this led to a decentralization of our urban fabric which created the invasion of nature and sprawl. Meanwhile, we still spend millions in Iraq while our own infrastructure falls apart one bridge, one city, at a time.
With all of that, what choices did people have. It became a "fend for yourself society". People wanted to escape those ills so they could place their child in a better school or in a less crime-ridden area. And along with that came our isolation as a society. I don't blame folks for living in the burbs. What choice did they have? I never took that route having realized long ago that there really is no place to hide. Now, we gas prices surely to rise, that lifestyle seems even more unbecoming to me. But, just my opinion!
The suburbs have been associated with "the american dream" for a while now. To attain this "dream" life, you need to have a big house on a large lot with an expansive lawn-plus 3-4 cars. It really is a shallow existence if that's all that matters to those people.
Ever seen "The Real Housewives of Orange County"? What a bunch of materialistic, vain, superficial, plastic and ultimately sad women. And their kids are just horrible!
Most people be it in suburbs or in The City are normal folks just trying to get ahead-but its the over the top ones who get all the attention.
Dont get me wrong, Im not condemning them, heck more power to them. I live in a very upscale suburban area myself, but people here just dont act that way-we're a bit more aware of the world in Marin.
The suburbs have been associated with "the american dream" for a while now. To attain this "dream" life, you need to have a big house on a large lot with an expansive lawn-plus 3-4 cars. It really is a shallow existence if that's all that matters to those people.
Ever seen "The Real Housewives of Orange County"? What a bunch of materialistic, vain, superficial, plastic and ultimately sad women. And their kids are just horrible!
Most people be it in suburbs or in The City are normal folks just trying to get ahead-but its the over the top ones who get all the attention.
Dont get me wrong, Im not condemning them, heck more power to them. I live in a very upscale suburban area myself, but people here just dont act that way-we're a bit more aware of the world in Marin.
I think though, that as we've become more educated and more cultured as a nation, our idea of the American Dream and the suburbs has transformed all together. Suburbs, as we know it, are no longer what they used to be. People are now able to escape the city without really escaping the city.
I think though, that as we've become more educated and more cultured as a nation, our idea of the American Dream and the suburbs has transformed all together. Suburbs, as we know it, are no longer what they used to be. People are now able to escape the city without really escaping the city.
Definitely a step in the right direction. I wonder how much different our nation would be if we never fell for the notion of "the american dream". Our cities, the social problems that are still ongoing, the racial divide, etc.-We would have been a lot better off to ignore the enticings of suburban life imo.
Youre generalizing big suburbs here, and comparing all other suburbs to them. There are many suburbs around here that are supremely quiet and many retain the house-on-big-wooded-lots feel. For instance, Naperville, IL and Wayne, IL are only a few miles apart, but couldnt be any different if they tried. Same with towns like Sleepy Hollow, IL and Algonquin, IL. Neighbors, but 100% different. Dont assume all suburbs everywhere are concrete prairies and cookie cutter homes, even though they are the majority.
I know this sounds like a cop-out, but I actually believe this. Suburbs like the inner suburbs and satellite cities (Joliet, Naperville) aren't suburbs. They have a built form not unlike the city neighborhoods. These places are the city with another name attached to them. When I say suburb I am meaning the stereotypical subdivision.
Problems with places like the Woodlands is this (its great n all) But...
1. Houston is still Houston...how do you fix the existing clusterf of the lay out of the city?
2. Existing historical areas should be preserved and reutilized as much as possible (in any state)
Read this story about one of the most posh retail streets in the southern United States, and what's happening to it now...
One family's influence on Canal Street's future | News for New Orleans, Louisiana | Local News | News for New Orleans, Louisiana | wwltv.com (http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl112707khretailspace.46dbfcb2.html - broken link)
Isn't The Woodlands a new urbanist community? I would like to see more of them. Suburbs are more diverse now, and have different factors. It is all moot; they generally preclude the common social interactions that are fundamental to an urban setting. What point is there to putting up with millions of people in a small space if you elect to insulate yourself from them? May as well go back to the farm.
It also depends on what you would call a "true" suburb. People think of places like San Jose, Phoenix, etc as big a** suburbs and I disagree. They have (albeit faint) identities to them whereas suburbs generally do not.
I live in a suburb that did not exist 20 years ago. Everything around here is new and fairly cookie cutter. I live in a 1+1 apartment that is walking distance (1/2 to 3/4 mile) to grocery store, big box stores, movie theaters, at least a dozen restaurants, and nearly every other type of store I need. I ride a bike to work every day, about 25 miles round trip along our suburban streets that have nice wide bike lanes in most places. This area is one of the best for bike riding of any metro area I have lived in. I also use a bike for all sorts of nearby errands, in addition to walking to local stores. Not all suburban dwellers are car-a-holics, so it's not fair to paint a broad brush generalization about suburbs.
A lot of places that today people badge as "city neighborhoods" are really just old suburbs. A lot of the suburbs built 100 years ago are as cookie cutter as can be-- but for some reason, they escape the blame of the urban elitists. Some far-flung leapfrogging sprawl really is a disaster, but contiguously built suburban developments over time become more and more centrally located. Many cities, like Denver, have light rail systems that reach all way into the suburbs-- so you can still live in the suburbs and commute downtown without driving the whole way.
So to answer the original question-- some are, but most people who live in the suburbs are normal people-- from all walks of life. I agree that burning gallons and gallons of gasoline everyday is a problem-- but that's the "tragedy of the commons," not an individual moral problem. I think the "new urbanists" are really elitists-- wannabees, really.
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Dont assume all suburbs everywhere are concrete prairies and cookie cutter homes, even though they are the majority. 
