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It depends on what kind of suburb you're talking about. There are suburbs that are way more dense than cities. Some cities are suburban in density like Atlanta, Houston, and much of the south where the density is less than 4,000 per sq. People also have to remember that not all suburbs are the safe haven, safe schools, and soccer mom enviroment and yuppie-ish; typical suburbia.
I don't like the blandness of the for starters. I once drove through 9 suburbs at one time and I didn't even notice. They all looked the same: cookie-cutter houses, franchises, few sidewalks, sprawl galore, strip malls, ugh. There isn't any life in them. They were created so the developing companies could get rich.
I live in an area that is more suburban than urban. What I don't understand, is why sooo many people vilify the suburbs. What's so terrible about having a nice big yard for the kids to play in, safe streets to walk, or neighborhood barbecues? What's so terrible about your children being able to walk to school?
Some would say, because you can't walk to the store, walk to pick up your morning coffee, etc. So do people in a very dense city setting always walk to the store to do all of their weekly grocery shopping? Must be fun to carry all those bags home. Or, like I saw earlier today, break apart the 12 pack of soda and put it into a plastic bag so you can ride home easier on your bike??
Don't get me wrong, I understand the attraction of urban living for some people. My children are grown and have moved out of the area - urban living is more attractive to me at this stage in my life, but it's not for everyone. You can always get in your car and drive to the city if you need an urban fix.
While I prefer rural areas, I don't see much wrong with suburbs. I know that a lot of people here complain about suburbs, but it's all what you want. I don't mind driving everywhere and I certainly don't do my weekly grocery shopping and walk home with 6 or 7 bags - that's not practical. I particularly like the upper-middle class sprawling, homogenous suburbs; you know, the kind that people complain about here. I'm just not into high densitiy living. I couldn't stand it as a kid I still can't stand it as an adult.
While I prefer rural areas, I don't see much wrong with suburbs. I know that a lot of people here complain about suburbs, but it's all what you want. I don't mind driving everywhere and I certainly don't do my weekly grocery shopping and walk home with 6 or 7 bags - that's not practical. I particularly like the upper-middle class sprawling, homogenous suburbs; you know, the kind that people complain about here. I'm just not into high densitiy living. I couldn't stand it as a kid I still can't stand it as an adult.
The problem is people seem to make it a black and white issue and its not. I can walk to transit, walk to shops, restuarants and bars, walk to the library and just about everything. When we shop for groceries we drive! and we live in a single family home with a yard! and...and i've definatly seen higher density subdivisions in the auto dependent burbs...!
We live with options, sometimes we drive, sometimes we walk, but we have the FREEDOM of choice. car-walk-train-bus...its ALL there!
If you like the "upper middle class sprawling, homogenous suburbs" I think thats fine, where the problem is, particularly in the south, is that there is limited choice, a vast vast VAST majority is sprawl is as you discribed, leaving little housing choice. Thats my problem with sprawl...
I like parking in my own garage or driveway. And when friends and family are over they can park in front of the house because nobody else ever parks there. No fighting for parking spaces. I like having a yard to mow, leaves to rake, a garden to plant. I like that I never hear my neighbors blaring the stereo or TV but can talk to them when I walk my dog or they walk theirs. I can drive to work, the grocery store, the mall or restaurants in under 10 minutes.
The suburbs helped kill cities and they also helped kill many rural areas. So there is resentment. I hate seeing open land get developed just as I hate to see once fine city neighborhoods fall apart. No area is perfect, all have their drawbacks. But the suburbs are the middle ground and that's okay for me.
I like parking in my own garage or driveway. And when friends and family are over they can park in front of the house because nobody else ever parks there. No fighting for parking spaces. I like having a yard to mow, leaves to rake, a garden to plant. I like that I never hear my neighbors blaring the stereo or TV but can talk to them when I walk my dog or they walk theirs. I can drive to work, the grocery store, the mall or restaurants in under 10 minutes.
The suburbs helped kill cities and they also helped kill many rural areas. So there is resentment. I hate seeing open land get developed just as I hate to see once fine city neighborhoods fall apart. No area is perfect, all have their drawbacks. But the suburbs are the middle ground and that's okay for me.
But that is the point I am trying to make!!!
we have all that as well, PLUS we can walk places, the kids walk to school, etc.
I love to mow, washing my car is a big pastime and stress reliever for me, I love my garage...
Its not about giving up your car, its about GIVING options.! If the suburbs were done properly 50 years ago we wouldnt be having this discussion...
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
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I simply don't get the appeal. I worked in Alief once, essentially one of Houston's many suburbs, and got lost and confused quickly. I don't understand how people find their way home. The houses really do mostly look the same! You can't walk anywhere either. Everything is centered around the car, and I hate driving with a passion. Life is also way too tidy for my tastes. Living in the core of the city, I meet new people on a regular basis just being out and about, going about my day. We become friends, hang out, create car pools and playdates for my kid, work on projects together, meet up at events, or out for dinner and drinks, etc. In the suburbs, life seems way too structured and routine, not allowing for such spontaneity. People go to bed earlier. Further, in my unscientific opinion, people raised in the suburbs seem more fearful and ignorant of people not like them (their race or socioeconomic status), and not as well-equipped to handle real life, one of the biggest reasons I chose to raise my child in the heart of the city. "The Boy in the Bubble" is the name of a film, not a way to live your life.
It also irks me that suburbanites think the city is dirty and unsafe, and that you can't get the things in the city that they get in the suburbs, when you can. As if suburbs cornered the market on family-friendly living. I guess we have different definitions of "family-friendly." I live in one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, and there is a great community feeling here. We even have monthly get-togethers at one of two bars/cafés within walking distance, a neighborhood park, and attend cultural events at the arts center in our neighborhood. We're also close to other cultural activities, being so close to downtown and most of the city's arts and cultural offerings. Suburbanites also have the illusion that life is safer in the suburbs. Maybe in other cities, but I definitely don't think this is the case in Houston. Safety comes from knowing your neighbors and looking out for one another, and we have that where I live in spades, while I know some suburbanites who don't even know their neighbor across the street. It's all relative, I guess.
Last edited by houstoner; 12-04-2008 at 07:28 AM..
I'll just add that the most desirable environment for raising kids (as determined by market demand) appears to be pre-WW2 suburbs built along street car lines. These suburbs tend to be a good compromise between walkability (density) and spaciousness. In our suburb of Chicago most of the growth took place between 1920 and 1940. There's a lot of single family homes (with yards) and some apartment complexes mixed in. Most areas of town are within a short walk of retail and public transit. This allows families to get by with one fewer car than they might require in the newer burbs. Moms and dads don't constantly have to be chauffeurs for their kids.
In all the metro areas I've visited, these streetcar suburbs tend to be the priciest and have generally held value while the newer exurbs have plunged.
One reason demand is high is that they haven't built suburbs like this for over 50 years. Many newer auto-centric suburbs are trying to retro-fit their town by building prefab "Main Streets" and installing sidewalks, but there's only so much you can do when all the houses and roads are already built.
In defense of boring suburbs (and even exurbs), when you are raising a family and money is tight, lack of access to excitement is the least of your worries. You want a town where you can afford to live, crime is low, and schools are good. If it has excitement that's a bonus, but raising kids is plenty exciting and time-consuming in and of itself.
Unfortunately, due to legal, political, and economic forces beyond the control of the individual homebuyer, transit and pedestrian friendly suburbs are few and far between.
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