The Work Blog: My First Series!

In my work blog, Five, I have included list after list of observations about architecture, fashion, history, and fun. Today, I've started a new challenge: I'll be writing a series of posts on suburbia! Here's the first installment:


The Suburbs and the American Experience

Do the suburbs need revitalization? Have they failed to fulfill our needs and desires? What exactly are those needs and desires? How do we improve and repair the suburban experience?

For the last few months, my research has led me to a multitude of interesting articles and stories about the suburbs. Each time I saw an interesting link, I saved it to a folder. And apparently, I kept saving and saving and saving. My original plan, while collecting the links, was to write one post about the suburbs then, now, and in the future – its origins, the current state of suburbs, and planned improvements.

The more information I collected on this topic, I realized I had material for more than one post, and perhaps a series. Often thought of as the city’s less educated cousin, the trend-follower, and a place for families, shopping malls, and boredom, the suburbs have the potential to be so much more; they have the potential to become what many residential planners hoped they would be.

Next week’s post will explore the history of the suburbs, and later posts will present recent attempts to redesign the suburbs, the suburbs in art, and the role of the suburbs in the future. But this week? This week’s post is a chance for you to read about this fascinating topic. Here’s a selected bibliography:

Archer, John. Architecture and Suburbia. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2005.

Archer, John, David Brooks, Robert Bruegmann, and Andrew Blauvelt. Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes. Los Angeles: Walker Art Center, 2008.

Beauregard, Robert A. When America Became Suburban. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2006.

Byrnes, Mark. “Frank Lloyd Wright Hated Cities, Which Might Explain Why Americans Love Him.” The Atlantic Cities, June 6, 2012. Accessed October 9, 2012. http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2012/06/frank-lloyd-wright-hated-cities-which-might-explain-hy-americanslove-him/2221/#

Kruse, Kevin M. and Thomas J Sugrue. The New Suburban History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006.

So ends the introduction of what has become a series. After collecting interesting links for the last couple of months, I have discovered interesting theories and strong reactions to the suburbs. They have become a subject for modern art and are also providing some innovative solutions to contemporary issues, including environmentally-friendly design.  The suburban landscape has developed into the antithesis of the city, and this had led to resurgence of interest from those previously disenchanted by it. Stayed tuned; there is more to come!