Suburbia
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Suburbs Are Out, Cities Are In — Now What?
Today’s Times devotes two pieces to the “suburbs are out, cities are in” phenomenon that has taken root in much of the country over the past few decades -- the great inversion, urbanologist Alan Ehrenhalt has dubbed this reversal of the suburbanization wave that swept through the U.S. in the last century. Though both pieces will pretty much be old hat to Streetsblog readers, they’re interesting nonetheless, both as signposts and for what they leave out.
April 18, 2014
The Incredible Shrinking Megastore: Retailers Think Outside the Big Box
They lord over empty parking lots in Hazard, Kentucky; Twinsburg, Ohio; and Lewiston, Washington like the ruins of a lost civilization. Vacant Walmart stores are slowly decomposing in more and more American towns these days. More than 100 of them have been memorialized as part of the group Flickr pool known smugly as "They Sold for Less."
September 15, 2011
Civil Rights Group Demands End to Car-Centric Transportation Policies
“This is the civil rights dilemma: Our laws purport to level the playing field, but our transportation choices have effectively barred millions of people from accessing it.”
August 15, 2011
In a Growth-Oriented System, Youngstown, Ohio Struggles to Shrink
Youngstown, Ohio has its share of problems.
July 5, 2011
Cul-de-Sacs Are Killing Us: Public Safety Lessons From Suburbia
People choose suburban neighborhoods over urban ones for myriad reasons: because they can afford it, because the schools are good, because it’s a quiet street, or crimes rates are low, or everyone walks around with baby strollers and golden retrievers, or their family is nearby. But countless other consequences stream from their decision of where to live.
June 7, 2011
A Growing Living Streets Community Emerges in Redding, California
Redding, California, with a population of 90,000, is probably best known for its sunshine, breathtaking landscapes and conservative politics. Located 200 miles north of Sacramento in Shasta County, the lush region surrounded by the Trinity and Cascade mountains offers an abundance of recreation, including a growing number of paved multi-use trails that draw large crowds of bicyclists and pedestrians.
April 29, 2011
The Missed Opportunity For an Urban Stimulus: Mayors ‘Were Ignored’
Two-thirds
of America's population, and more than three-quarters of its economic
productivity, come from major cities. So why did the Obama
administration's economic stimulus law end up giving metropolitan areas
the short end of the stick?
December 1, 2009
Has the Government Been Bailing Out Sprawl?
One of the themes of the financial and economic crisis we've faced
over the past two years is that government, pressed into responding to
serious economic pain, has often found itself supporting the activities
that got us into this mess in the first place.
November 2, 2009
How Congress Can Help Create Suburbia 2.0
As Obama administration adviser Shelley Poticha noted
this week, building more energy-efficient and hospitable cities -- not
to mention suburbs and rural areas -- starts with clear terminology.
"Sustainability" and "livability" are positive concepts that can be
hard to define, but how can "transit-oriented development" be brought
home to someone unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of policy?
October 9, 2009