{"id":73,"date":"2018-02-28T01:04:05","date_gmt":"2018-02-28T01:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-mpp\/?p=73"},"modified":"2018-03-05T21:39:21","modified_gmt":"2018-03-05T21:39:21","slug":"not-your-average-suburb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-mpp\/2018\/02\/28\/not-your-average-suburb\/","title":{"rendered":"The Suburbs Aren’t What They Seem"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here are the top ten things you didn’t know about the suburbs…<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n

1. The term suburbs has been used since the 19th century<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n
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“The City vs. the Suburbs: We’ll Help You Decide!”by Hero Images\/Getty Images. Source: realtor.com. Undated.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When you hear the word \u201csuburb\u201d an image automatically pops-up in your head, but what actually constitutes a space as being defined as a suburb?\u00a0 The term suburb derives from the Latin words sub<\/em>, which means beneath\/below, and urbe<\/em>. While urbe<\/em> doesn\u2019t necessarily mean town, it could be translated as a \u201cpre-urban nucleus.\u201d[1]<\/a> Suburbs have traditionally been designated as, \u201curban areas lying beyond the physical limits of the city, usually outside the city walls, where the unpleasant, polluting and dangerous trades were concentrated, along with the under-classes and outcasts who could not afford the privilege and safety of living within the city itself.\u201d [2]<\/a> In the 19th<\/sup> century, the English middle class wanted to live in areas that were removed from the cities \u201cenvironmental nuisances\u201d. In 1845 Friedrich Engels was one the firsts to highlight the occurrence of suburbanization and residential segregation.<\/p>\n

2- The suburbs have been around since medieval times<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n
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Aerial View of Streatham, c. 1930 Source: Ideal Homes: A History Of South-East London Suburbs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Suburbs have been around for a very long time, dating back to post-Roman or mediaeval times. There are many indications that mediaeval suburbs were based on detailed plans catered to the layout of whichever town they were building in. There are also many references to the suburbs in English literature, one of them being Shakespeare, as he mentions the \u201crabble of the suburbs\u201d[3]<\/a> in his Henry VIII of 1613. These references often refer to the disgraceful conditions in suburban London and have often been portrayed as \u201chell\u201d. However, the suburbs were becoming more desirable in London by the 19th<\/sup> century and, in fact, it was during this time when a massive growth of suburbs began in London. There was a huge desire to live in a place that had easy access to the city but weren\u2019t inside it. Post-World War II, in America there was a massive movement of people, mainly whites, moving from cities to rural areas.<\/p>\n

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“MERCEDES BENZ MOVE GIF BY MERCEDES-BENZ AUSTRALIA” Source: GIPHY. Undated.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

World War II and the Great Depression had changed economic perspectives of many Americans \u2013 the economic turmoil that Americans experienced from 1929 to 1941 had induced them to ration material items they had taken for granted during the roaring 20\u2019s. In the post-Word War II era, Americans sought to take advantage of their economic freedom by buying homes. \u201cOne of the first necessities sought after by Americans was housing. By late 1945 and early 1946 the housing crisis was acute. Veterans and other Americans demobilized from wartime production desired housing but were met with a lack of supply.\u201d [4]<\/a> The implementation of the Federal Housing Authority made it easier for America\u2019s veterans to get mortgages, while the newly established G.I. Bill would help those same veterans go to college in addition to providing monetary support as they pursued an advanced degree.[5]<\/a> This new legislation made it easier for veterans and their families to get houses in the suburbs, where housing was cheaper and my conducive for America\u2019s rising middle class. The Federal Highway Act passed in 1956, allowed for transportation to be more effective, and made it easier for people to get in and out of the city. As a result, the inner-city neighborhoods of New York quickly deteriorated as many middle-class families who lived there ultimately left for seemingly better opportunities outside of the city. Racial tensions were likely an additional factor, which motivated many white Americans to leave the cities. The Great Migration had seen many African Americans resettle in the North\u2019s metropolitan areas, causing a considerable societal shift in combination with the concurrent white migration to the suburbs.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 Levittown is the first and prime example of an American suburb<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Levittown is an excellent model of the American post-war suburb. Levittown was established by William Levitt, who had taken advantage of the housing crisis that followed the post-Word War II years, as he offered affordable housing to white Veterans and their families that were in the Long Island and New York City areas.[6]<\/a> These neighborhoods were made easy to commute from because of the Federal Highway Act. This was a perfect opportunity for the middle class to also move out of the city\u2019s overcrowded apartment buildings. Levitt built Levittown as a new-model American community, which sequentially attracted many Americans to make the transition. Those who lived in Levittown were convinced that their community was one of the most important aspects of their lives.[7]<\/a> Eventually, the houses in Levittown began to change, as the owners were rising in wealth and status. The community\u2019s standard of living pushed for a more innovative culture in Levittown and caused residents to redecorate and improve their homes.<\/p>\n