Why Good Design Fails in Suburbia
Over the last few days I've been contemplating why poor design and bad architecture are de rigueur in suburbia. It's easy to blame architects and contractors for the glut of poorly designed and built McMansions... but is that blame appropriately placed?
I think we all can agree that the suburban mindset is defective. The desire to maximize square-footage over quality dates back at least 50 years in America. The American Dream of home ownership and the erroneous concept that home ownership is every man's investment Valhalla (sold to us by the US Govt) has been driving us all into a completely unsustainable future.
Suburbia is neither country nor city. Suburbia is an ugly hybrid, trying to be both "urban" and "bucolic" at the same time -- it does neither well. City/Town Planners set regulations that prevent any kind of imaginative design. Architects struggle to design within extremely limited "community standards" and contractors are left with almost nothing to work with.
Homeowners Associations are practicing fascist-like control over subdivisions, regulating every aspect of design and maintenance. They often restrict exterior color palettes, landscaping, gardening, etc. Many newer communities even require homeowners to install in-ground sprinkler systems (we wouldn't want your lawn to fall short of expectations). Check this link for some information on the power of Homeowners Associations: http://bit.ly/3OEr1H . This, of course, begs the question... do you really own your house? Or are you just a glorified squatter?
As many architects will attest, building interesting, well designed or modern residential housing requires that the homeowner move even farther out into the country on land that is outside city and town limits. This just exacerbates the problems associated with "suburban sprawl" -- the very thing that most people interested in modern architecture are trying to avoid.
Clearly there is plenty of blame to go around, but, until suburbanites give up on their obsession with square footage and start insisting on quality and beauty the cycle will continue. Many are predicting that todays suburbs will be tomorrows slums -- urban areas will continue to be revitalized because of their sustainable nature while the suburbs will continue to fall into disrepair, infrastructure crumbling.
This may be a dim view of the future for some... but for those of us who want a little more beauty, a little more art, a little more intelligence in our lives it represents some renewed hope.
I think we all can agree that the suburban mindset is defective. The desire to maximize square-footage over quality dates back at least 50 years in America. The American Dream of home ownership and the erroneous concept that home ownership is every man's investment Valhalla (sold to us by the US Govt) has been driving us all into a completely unsustainable future.
Suburbia is neither country nor city. Suburbia is an ugly hybrid, trying to be both "urban" and "bucolic" at the same time -- it does neither well. City/Town Planners set regulations that prevent any kind of imaginative design. Architects struggle to design within extremely limited "community standards" and contractors are left with almost nothing to work with.
Homeowners Associations are practicing fascist-like control over subdivisions, regulating every aspect of design and maintenance. They often restrict exterior color palettes, landscaping, gardening, etc. Many newer communities even require homeowners to install in-ground sprinkler systems (we wouldn't want your lawn to fall short of expectations). Check this link for some information on the power of Homeowners Associations: http://bit.ly/3OEr1H . This, of course, begs the question... do you really own your house? Or are you just a glorified squatter?
As many architects will attest, building interesting, well designed or modern residential housing requires that the homeowner move even farther out into the country on land that is outside city and town limits. This just exacerbates the problems associated with "suburban sprawl" -- the very thing that most people interested in modern architecture are trying to avoid.
Clearly there is plenty of blame to go around, but, until suburbanites give up on their obsession with square footage and start insisting on quality and beauty the cycle will continue. Many are predicting that todays suburbs will be tomorrows slums -- urban areas will continue to be revitalized because of their sustainable nature while the suburbs will continue to fall into disrepair, infrastructure crumbling.
This may be a dim view of the future for some... but for those of us who want a little more beauty, a little more art, a little more intelligence in our lives it represents some renewed hope.
This isn't just true of suburbs. It's true of the outskirts of small towns where people (myself included) build up subdivisions that resemble suburbia. Great post, Sean.
ReplyDeleteGreat truth to this. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly why we prefer older homes and established neighborhoods. I'd rather break my hand trying to drive a nail into the petrified redwood frame of my 1927 Craftsman bungalow than know my cheap plywood and wallboard McMansion in the Jersey Palisades - furnished with crap from Horchow Home - will be falling apart in just a couple decades.
ReplyDeleteThere's a rather poignant reminder of the deterioration of standards and quality as you are crossing over from Rutland, Vermont into upstate New York. Just a couple miles in on the New York side, you pass a 1970s split level that has obviously been abandoned - standing alone, as if its subdivision had been lifted up from around it. It's a sheer and utter wreck based on nothing but the structural quality and materials.
Nearby, two still-gorgeous Victorian era homes stand, similarly abandoned - yet, they stand tall and sound - nowhere near as dilapidated as the tract home.
And I agree with Robyn - you can see ugly soulless, prefabs just about anywhere these days, whether its in the suburbs of a major city or in the heart of a major tourist destination like Stowe, VT.
I will always choose beauty and quality in a home, which for me, means I will likely never own a brand new one.