This is from NewJerseyNewsroom: http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/style/books-reviewed-is-suburbia-dying
Is Suburbia Dying?
REVIEWED BY MARCI ANDREWS
THE INTERNET REVIEW OF BOOKS
The hot topic of many of today’s news programs is the current meltdown of the housing market and of the economy in general. These two books approach the issue from a novel environmental and socio-economic angle. “Cul-de-Sac Syndrome” focuses on housing in the US: how the US housing market became what it is today, how it affects the American population and environment, and what can be done moving forward to make housing sustainable. “Welcome to the Urban Revolution” focuses on cities of the world-the advantages of living in a city, the effects of a city’s design on its population, and ways to revamp and better manage cities around the world.
With only 207 pages, “Cul-de-Sac Syndrome” packs a lot of punch for such a slim volume. It’s broken into two parts-”A Dream Gone Bad, ” which examines the origin of the classic American-Dream home in the suburbs, and “Reinventing Home and the Community,” which explores possible ways to change and improve America’s housing (and community).
Even though a great deal has already been said about the mortgage meltdown, it was enlightening, for me at least, to see how the idea of property as a financial investment instead of simply a home rose in popularity. I can’t think of anyone I know in the work force today who has a pension they are counting on using when they retire-most of my contemporaries don’t seem to be counting on Social Security, either. But the idea of building equity in a home, then selling, downsizing, and using the cash to fund retirement, is still prevalent, even in the current market.
Until relatively recently, we have been a country of farmers. That changed over the last century with the rise of first the industrial city, then the suburb, then the car, which provided at-will access between the two. (No waiting for the train, bus, trolley, etc., if these were available at all.) At the turn of the twentieth century cities were almost uniformly dirty places. Most people considered suburbs much healthier and desirable places to live and raise a family.
Americans’ white picket-fenced homes became their new castles. As the century wore on, however, they found that the promise of suburbia didn’t quite live up to the reality. To afford a home, many had to purchase property far from their workplaces, causing commuting time to rise. Extreme commutes and increasingly stressful and sedentary lifestyles at best negated the positive effects of living far from the city’s environ. At worst, they lowered the average American’s quality of life so much that a trend toward moving back into America’s cities and downtown areas is already underway.
Other effects of suburban life aside, the suburban lifestyle devolved into unsustainability. Building methods are both inefficient and incredibly wasteful. Infrastructure has not kept up with demand, making resources, particularly water, increasingly difficult to manage. An outdated electrical grid can barely keep up with current power demand, and occasionally fails to do even that, as dramatically demonstrated in the massive 2003 blackout from New York to parts of Canada. Americans’ habit of attempting to “keep up with the Joneses” has only exacerbated the problem-bigger houses, bigger cars, more electronics, all increased debt load and increased pressure on an already pressured environment.
What to do? The second part of “Cul-de-Sac Syndrome” covers the most compelling ideas found by the author. He focuses mainly on housing materials and housing locations-namely, greener, more efficient housing and retooling America’s cities to create walkable, mixed-use (i.e,, residential and business) and mixed-income neighborhoods. A generation of young adults that has grown up aware of environmental issues is now entering the housing market. They will want to know what their carbon footprint will be if they move into that suburban house v. the condo in the city. Rising fuel costs mean that many people will find the idea of being able to walk or bike to where they need to go, and therefore reduce the amount they spend on gas, very appealing. And as baby boomers retire, many may be ready to move from a high-maintenance single family home to a walkable neighborhood where there’s no grass to mow and the grocery store is only a block or two away.
t’s possible that economic pressures will ultimately lead us Americans by the nose to downsize and be more environmentally friendly. Maybe not. It’s not just the culture that needs to be changed-zoning laws will have to be rewritten to allow for mixed-use buildings. And if the green manufactured housing Wasik described is ever to catch on, Americans will have to rethink some attitudes. “Cul-de-Sac Syndrome” doesn’t really provide a way forward on these issues, unfortunately.
“Cul-de-Sac Syndrome” is a good read for anyone interested in the housing crisis, the mortgage meltdown, the environmental impact of housing in America . . . or people thinking about buying their first house. There’s plenty to think about for the conscientious first-time home buyer. Wasik’s writing style is clean and informative. This is not a book the average reader will pick up for fun, but if you’re looking for a serious, concise look at the topic, “Cul-de-Sac Syndrome” is a winner.”