To: Team Green Bite
From: Erick I. Sanchez de Leon
Date: October 29, 2009
Subject: Book Review on Suburban Nation: the Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream.
Traditional Neighborhoods vs. Suburban Sprawl
“This book is a study of two different models of urban growth: the traditional neighborhood and suburban sprawl”(3). These two models are described in this book for the purpose to inform the reader that sprawl is unsustainable. The authors illustrate that sprawl is unsustainable, not only because of construction and maintenance costs, but also the costs to our democracy. The United States, according to the authors, cannot continue building communities that segregate community functions and spaces without compromising its ideals of political and civic accessibility. Compared with traditional neighborhoods, suburban sprawl leaves our most vulnerable, the elderly, the poor, and the youth dependant, isolated and disenfranchised. Americans must change the way we construct our neighborhoods and incorporate regional planning to tackle mutual problems like, pollution, transportation, housing and commerce. For these reasons these authors explain 8 steps for regional planning (142-147).
8 Steps for Regional Planning
Admit growth will occur
Establish a permanent countryside preserve
Establish a temporary countryside reserve
Designate the corridors
Establish priority development sectors
Establish a proactive permitting process for development that follows the neighborhood model
Designate all other types of development as districts
Fairly distribute the Lulus
By taking such measures in consideration and action, development using these steps will help our expanding urban areas to be better able to become sustainable economically, environmentally and politically. We as a nation must work together to create communities that provide accessibility for the maintenance of our democracy. It is our duty as citizens to provide future generations the choice to live in neighborhoods that provide housing, work, play, civic participation and food in walking distance. This will depend on how we citizens exercise our rights and responsibilities. We as a nation will have to change our consumption patterns. We will have to reassess our values. We will have to engage our neighbors and make associations to remold our urban areas. This change will start in our assumptions of what “the American Dream” entails. It is the way we go about it, not the dream it self.
Works cited
Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speak. 2000. Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the American Dream. North Point Press. New York.
