Building Suburbia

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A lively history of the contested landscapes where the majority of Americans now live, Building Suburbia chronicles two centuries in the birth and development of America s metropolitan regions.From rustic cottages reached by steamboat to big box stores at the exit ramps of eight lane highways, Dolores Hayden defines seven eras of suburban development since 1820 An urban historian and architect, she portrays housewives and politicians as well as designers and builders making the decisions that have generated America s diverse suburbs Residents have sought home, nature, and community in suburbia Developers have cherished different dreams, seeking profit from economies of scale and increased suburban densities, while lobbying local and federal government to reduce the risk of real estate speculation Encompassing environmental controversies as well as the complexities of race, gender, and class, Hayden s fascinating account will forever alter how we think about the communities we build and inhabit. Best Read Building Suburbia author Dolores Hayden For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr Really interesting study of how our current suburban landscapes came to be Main takeaway real estate developers are crooks and con artists no surprise there I agree with her conclusions about how to foster sustainable development in the future, and I ...An overall good and informative read, particularly moving past the first chapter on 19th century rich people s houses Did you know that Levittown was built without septic tanks or sewers, but rather outdoor cess pits Levittown s infrastructural defects required, according to ...Exceptional history of American suburban development couldn t bestraightforward.Dolores Hayden s Building Suburbia Greenfields and Urban Growth, 1820 2000 chronicles 180 years of metropolitan development in the United States that addresses the general reader from the perspective of an urban landscape historian xi Although the book is well documented with endnotes many of which cite secondary sources such as Warner, Longstreth, Stilgoe, etc the overall synthetic presentation is lucid enough to appeal tothan just the scholar of suburban landscapes Hayden succe Dolores Hayden s Building Suburbia Greenfields and Urban Growth, 1820 2000 chronicles 180 years of metrop...I could give you some excellent examples of my suburban cred I ll give you two I would ride my bike to y tiny side or back yard, and just leave it laying there til i wanted to ride it again.I had no idea how to take a bus until I was a teenager and then still got confused.Lucky for me, my urban mother moved me to the city when I was a teenager and I escaped its grown up clutches Maybe because of that, I go back to that suburb and find sweet things to muse about almost every time.Suburbia has i I could give you some excellent examples of my suburban cred I ll give you two I would ride my bike to y tiny side or back yard, and just leave it laying there til i wanted to ride it again.I had no idea how to take a bus until I was a teenager and then still got confused.Lucky for me, my urban mother moved me to the city when I was a teenager and I escaped its grown up clutches Maybe because of that, I go back to that suburb and find sweet things to muse about almost every time.Suburbia has its many detractors It has few supporters I won t say this author is in either camp entirely She does seem to understand them, which of course is the first step to changing them.7 vernacular patterns of suburbia I had no idea But now I do I can roam the old cities I see and find the patterns from borderlands Ohio ...Building Suburbia is a capable synthesis of historical and recent scholarship on the development of the suburbs in America Hayden, a professor of architecture and urbanism and professor of American Studies at Yale, knows what she is talking about It was clear to me that this book is written for a general, rather then specialized audience.Hayden s writting style is easy to understand, and she provides multiple in text illustrations and photographs to illuminate the text The book tracks the his Building Suburbia is a capable synthesis of historical and recent sch...At times interesting history of the changing pattern of suburban and rural development in the United States punctuated by bloated diction and terribly misguided substories In particular the hamhanded effort to paint much of urban development as a racist plot against minorities That part is bad enough, but the sophomoric feminist rant against male driven family structures allegedly perpetuated by modern suburbs that is tactlessly slapped onto the text sends the book from the realm of bein At times interesting history of the changing pattern of suburban and rural development in the United States punctuated by bloated diction and terribly misguided substories In particular the hamhanded effor...The academic writing style is not my favorite style This is definitely written in that style The book does do a good job of explaining the history of and development of the rural and suburban life style and I enjoyed those parts I however couldn t get over the random feminist rants and odd ideas about race and the urban environments I am obviously not the target audience for this book Readslike a doctorate dissertation than a readable history book I gave it two stars because the hist ...One of the best books anywhere on anything Then you take the fact that we all fascinated with where humans live and how we came to this odd suburban arrangement and you really see her strength The intelligent time lines leading from the 1800s to modern mcmansion is impressive and her chapter on sitcom suburbs is brilliant including the communist red aspect of Levitttown Hayden writes quick and crisp and lays out segments you ll want to quote later Her closing chapters talk poignantly about h One of the best books anywhere on anything Then you take the fact that we all fascinated with where humans live and how we came to this odd suburban arrangement and you really see her strength The intelligent time lines leading from the 1800s to modern mcmansion is impressive and her chapter on sitcom suburbs is brilliant including the communist red aspect of Levitttown Hayden writes quick and crisp and lays out segments you ll want to quote later Her closing chapters talk poignant...Hayden does a good job of systematically describing the history of the suburb Of particular value is her inclusion of periods prior to WWII, in contrast to many who see the beginning of the burbs in the post war construction boom Much of the discussion focuses on the stories of particular examples of the types of suburban pattern she describes The examples make for interesting reading, but lack something in terms of generality.Of course, the book almost deserves three stars for a single sent Hayden does a good job of systematically describing the history of the suburb Of particular value is her inclusion of periods prior to WWII, in contrast to many who s...

Building Suburbia
  • English
  • 05 July 2017
  • Paperback
  • 336 pages
  • 0375727213
  • Dolores Hayden
  • Building Suburbia