Suburbia
Seeking Suburbia's Future in Its Past
A group of urban designers and architects descends on the ur-suburbia of Levittown. Alison Arieff writes that the urban academics doodled in the margins rather than serious tackle the issues raised by the suburban way of life.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Sustained Relevance
A new exhibit looks at the legacy and modern-day relevance of Frank Lloyd Wright, and imagines how he would react to the suburbia of today
Commercializing the Landscape
When an Apple Store wanted to move into the Georgetown neighborhood in D.C., the Design Review Board pushed for a more fitting facade. After a backlash from residents eager for an Apple, the trademark building went in. Is Georgetown better off?
When is a Suburb Not a Suburb?
Joel Kotkin has said there is a war on suburbia. But as Michael Scott writes on New Geography (Kotkin's home base), where does suburbia start and the city end? Where do inner-ring suburbs fit in this model?
Friday Funny: Elder Speaks of Bygone Suburban Ways
A family elder tells tales of the old ways when the family was "not enticed by the frappucinos at the Starbucks that just opened," and there were park-and-rides as far as the eye could see.
Good Capitalists and the Meltdown
Suburbia has brainwashed Americans into being good capitalists, which brought about the economic crisis, according to neo-Marxist economic geographer David Harvey.
Video: Time to Urbanize Suburbia
The Washington Post's Ezra Klein suggests readers watch this 20-minute TED video featuring Georgia Tech's Ellen Dunham Jones, author of "Retrofitting Suburbia." Jones talks to the importance of making suburbs greener by retrofitting to urbanize them.
Suburbia Isn't The Problem
John Jensen at the Seattle Transit blog makes a persuasive argument that the suburbs themselves aren't the problem - depedency on the automobile is.
How Sprawl Created the Gulf Oil Spill
This commentary from Urban Omnibus looks at how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a problem with roots in unsustainable land use.
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Box?
As a young kid, skirting aimlessly throughout my suburban municipality from one car-optimized shopping center to the next on my bicycle in search of stimulation (and perhaps trouble), I vividly recall - though I likely didn't describe it as - the internal conflict between interesting commercial destinations on the inside, and the banal, cruel approach to these places on the outside. Although the primitive human desires of my psyche subconsciously longed for a central place to congregate with other lost children of the suburbs, I never had a downtown; I never had a community center. In this vacuum, I compensated with all that was available.
Obama Is At War With Suburbia, Says Kotkin
Joel Kotkin says that the recent Republican win in Massachusetts shows that suburban voters are in revolt against the Obama administration's urban-centric policies.
Giant Tripod Towers Terrorize Suburbs
When Dwell Magazine asked for submissions to their Re-Burbia contest reimagining the suburbs, they probably didn't count on a 3000 ft. geothermal tower on legs that rips homes out of the ground and files them into its towering heights.
Suburbs 2.0
A review of Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs by Ellen Dunham-Jones and June Williamson, from Residential Architect Online.
One Woman's Confession: "I Hate Suburbia"
Turning the page back to 1965, a woman confesses in Ladys Circle Magazine that she hates the suburbs. 'It isn't just monotony; it's stagnation!', she exclaims.
Suburbia and Pig Farms: It Stinks
The suburbs of Tewksbury, MA, a quaint New England town, have developed uncomfortably close to one of the largest pig farms in the state.
Freakonomics Investigates Suburbia
Urban experts weigh in on the future of the suburbs.
Who fights for suburbia?
This morning, one of my listservs was aflutter with discussion of a new article by Joel Kotkin, attacking an alleged "war against the suburbs." According to Kotkin, this "war" consisted of Jerry Brown’s efforts to "compel residents to move to city centers." After reading Kotkin’s article, I couldn’t really figure out exactly what Brown was trying to do- and since I don’t live in California, it really isn’t that important to me. However, it is important to realize that "smart growth" need not be the enemy of suburbs. Here’s why:
Fulton to Kotkin: Those Aren't Suburbs
Joel Kotkin's recent LA Times Op-Ed is critiqued by Bill Fulton of the California Planning and Development Report. Fulton argues the suburban areas Kotkin defends are actually urbanizing, whereas true suburbia show signs of becoming the new slums.
Curing Ills in Suburban Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia, has its own brand of suburban sprawl: suburbia without the space. A new comprehensive plan aims to address the woes of suburban Melbourne, but some say it doesn't go far enough.
The Decline Of The Suburbs?
The sub prime crisis is affecting both the growth of planned suburbs and prompting the decline of new suburbs. Is the US heading for Slumburbia?
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
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City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
