Reinforcing Southern California's Polycentricity Through New Suburbanism

A re-awakening of interest in walkable urban environments in suburban locations? This trend mostly revolves around the pre-war downtowns of small Southern California cities that grew into suburban bedroom communities in the 1950s and 1960s.

1 minute read

January 31, 2006, 8:00 AM PST

By davidjacot


"The suburbs, long derided as cultural wastelands, are experiencing a renaissance...No longer just sprawling residential tracts fanning out from nominal downtowns, the reinvented suburbs of Pasadena, Fullerton, San Fernando, Burbank and Irvine -- to name a few -- are pedestrian-friendly villages featuring vintage architecture mixed with new designs, mom-and-pop stores next to national chains, plus jobs a lot closer to home. They have museums, theaters, art galleries, concert halls and restaurants."

"'New suburbanism,' as it's called, is putting vitality back into suburbia."

Sunday, January 29, 2006 in The Los Angeles Times

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