Suburban Nation Study Guide Idea of the City PolSci 4160 Dr. Corso

Chapter 1

According to Duaney, et al., the way we live today – the way all of us grew up living, the way we expect to live in the future – is not only incredibly unusual given the course of world-wide human history, but it is also unsustainable. What has been overwhelmingly dominant is an arrangement they call “traditional neighborhood development.” And T.N.D., they claim, is sustainable. If they are right, we are all carrying the seeds of our self-destruction, as a people and, perhaps, as individuals. Putting aside for now, the question of whether they are right, consider the following preliminary questions:

1. As Americans, we are the inventors and the world’s strongest proponents of this deviant way of living the authors call “sprawl.” What do they say is the source of “sprawl”? Do you agree with their answer? Explain.

2. What they say are the five components of “sprawl” are compared unfavorably with what they identify as the six fundamental principles of T.N.D. Looking at their specific elements, what is your initial assessment of these two alternatives? Consider them one by one.

3. The authors suggest that, instead of looking around to blame someone for what has happened, we should make it possible for those who want it, to do what they are prohibited from doing now: to build in the T.N.D. mode. Do you have any problem with this?

1 Suburban Nation Study Guide Chapter 2

In this chapter sprawl and TND are compared more closely. Comparisons are made looking at traffic movement, at the level of accessibility to the goods and services we need for daily living, at shopping, at work places, at the usefulness of open spaces, and at street design. All of these comparisons are meant to support the conclusion that, “many of the vexations of life in the new suburbs are the outcome of their physical design.” In other words, they try to show that the design of our physical environment can make a difference in our everyday lives.

1. Consider their various comparisons: have they made their case that TND can improve the quality of our lives? Which comparison(s) strike(s) you as most impressive? As least impressive?

One of the major features of TND is that it gives central importance to what we can call “human nature” factors in its planning and design. Look for these as we proceed with this book and the course.

2. One of these factors is called risk homeostasis. What does this mean and how is it relevant to planning and designing streets and roads?

Another theme of this book and this class is the shift in the planning profession from a broad humanistic discipline to a statistically oriented pseudo-science. The authors claim that this is shown clearly in the allocation and arrangement of green or open spaces in the new suburbs.

3. How do post World War II suburban open spaces compare with their humanistically planned pre-war predecessors?

2 Suburban Nation Study Guide Chapter 3

As the authors point out, from a world-wide perspective, American housing patterns are unusual. Our housing growth is centrifugal, not centripetal like almost all of the rest of the world. Yet, in spite of its inefficiencies, its inefficacy, and its serious political and social consequences, the American style is catching on in places where the level of affluence makes it possible.

1. Does the fact that people in other countries want to live like us validate our way?

2. What are the inefficiencies, inefficacy and serious political and social consequences of the growth and development of housing American style? Consider these as a package that is primarily political in nature.

3. The authors advocate two currently illegal forms of affordable housing – the apartment above the store and the “granny flat.” What is your opinion of these?

4. They also advocate that housing for the poor be built to look like, fit in with, and be dispersed among middle class housing. What is your considered opinion of their argument?

3 Suburban Nation Study Guide Chapter 4

These writers claim that “Civic life” is declining. They say: “Americans are splintering into insular factions each pursuing an increasingly narrow agenda. Further, more and more citizens seem to be withdrawing from public life into the shelter of their private homes, from which they encounter the world primarily through their television and computer screens.” They also claim and argue that physical design can play a role in encouraging or reversing this trend by creating walkable public spaces, spaces in which people can meet as equals and talk with one another and relate civilly.

1. What is their argument? Do you think they’re right? What else beside physical design do you think would also play a role in reversing the decline of civic life?

In this chapter the focus is on how to create lively streets which function successfully as walkable public spaces. Such streets must meet four criteria.

2. Discuss the barriers contemporary suburban design places in the way of achieving such streets and the solutions that TND has for removing these:

a. Streets that one can walk on to get to meaningful destinations.

b. Streets that are and feel safe.

c. Streets that are comfortable.

d. Streets that are interesting.

4 Suburban Nation Study Guide Chapter 5

What the authors call “this country’s fundamentally misguided approach to transportation planning as a whole” ignores two basic principles for planning and developing “a transportation network for the healthy growth of society.” These are: (1) the principle of “the highwayless town and the townless highway”; and (2) the principle of “induced traffic.”

1. Explain the principle of “the highwayless town and the townless highway.”

2. Explain the principle of “induced traffic. Be sure to include an explanation of the key idea of “latent demands.”

These authors argue that our roadbuilding policies hurt, not help our national economy.

3. Summarize their various arguments. Do you agree with these or not? Explain.

4. What do you surmise is the politics behind our misguided approach to transportation planning and policies that result from it?

5. Why do you think the American public is simply not hearing the old and well- documented arguments against subsidizing automotive transportation? Even people hurt by it don’t seem to care or speak out.

5 Suburban Nation Study Guide Chapter 6

“Homebuilders, land developers, and marketing advisers are all constituencies that must be won over if the campaign against suburban sprawl is to succeed… While there are ways in which government intervention is necessary – most obviously in rolling back the federal, state and municipal policies that continue to promote sprawl – sprawl will not become obsolete by changing laws alone. A higher standard of development will become commonplace only if it offers greater profits to those who practice it.” Unfortunately, most developers, market analysts and homebuilders remain unconvinced of the true economy of traditional neighborhood design.”

1. What is the problem with real estate developers?

2. What is the problem with market analysts?

3. What is the problem with homebuilders?

4. What are “the true economies of traditional neighborhood design”?

6 Suburban Nation Study Guide Chapter 7

In chapter seven our authors delve into broad and important, though questionable, social speculations. They address the plight of various groups of people who are particularly disadvantaged by sprawl.

1. What do you think of their analysis of the negative effects of sprawl on:

a. cul-de-sac kids

b. soccer moms

c. the stranded elderly

d. weary commuters

e. the immobile poor

In all of these cases, they seem to have a social/political vision of a way of life different from what sprawl has given us.

2. What do you think this vision is?

7 Suburban Nation Study Guide Chapter 8

Achieving effective regional planning is much more a question of moral and political will than it is one of knowing what to do. Keeping this in mind, answer the following questions:

1. Why is regional planning necessary if we wish to improve both our central cities and their suburbs? What are its principal objectives? Why is it so difficult to implement. What is the role of the individual citizen in the regional planning process?

2. Consider the eight steps of regional planning. Do you have problems with any of them? Be specific.

3. Why do the authors recommend following the model of social and political action shown by the environmental movement in the pursuit of effective regional planning? Do you agree, or not? Have you been, in any way, part of the environmental movement?

8 Suburban Nation Study Guide Chapter 9

In this chapter, the authors get down to specifics about what cities need and what they must do for themselves. In general, they argue that cities must learn from suburbia and suburban developers and use their market-driven concern for what people want and what will attract them and their money. Cities must appropriate this experience and expertise in a way that remains true to their traditional design principles and not become merely “a high-density version of auto dependent sprawl” (p. 181).

1. Consider the areas in which cities must compete with the suburbs in attracting population, business and investment. Do you think cities can effectively compete? Be specific.

2. Could cities possibly attract you and your business or money?

9 Suburban Nation Study Guide Chapter 10

Throughout this chapter, the authors show a complete commitment to practical, effective action in the world as they find it. Consider their acceptance of the hard facts of economic, cultural and political life that force them to build their traditionally inspired neighborhoods on the “Greenfield” fringes of sprawl (pp. 183-85). Consider their willingness to work within the irrational restrictions that local planning boards, NIMBY movements, zoning codes and traffic engineers impose on them (e.g., pp. 193-96, 204). Consider their concluding advice to architects to re-engage the communities which have devalued and rejected them (pp. 212-14). Consistently, whatever the obstacles, our authors insist on diving right into the frustrating and difficult process of actually building better-designed neighborhoods and towns. They are willing to put their integrity on the line and make compromises. They are willing to risk losing. They are satisfied with the best possible instead of only with what is purely the best.

1. What do you think of this approach? Could you share their attitudes toward action in the “real world”? If not, what would you substitute for it?

It is argued that elementary schools are best located within neighborhoods so that no child has more than a 15-minute walk to school. The arguments are on p. 191. This limits the size of the school as well as the neighborhood’s design (i.e., it must be pedestrian-friendly).

2. Do you agree with these arguments or not? Explain your position.

They say (p. 190): “True towns take time; a designer can only provide the ingredients and conditions most likely to lead to a mixed use future.” They could add: “and to a future where people will take a 5-minute (1/4 mile) walk instead of driving (p.200); “and to a future where people would move their homes to where they work or seek work near where they lived”(p. 190); “and to a future where all compatible land uses were connected” (p.192).

3. Do you share their belief that, over time, these will occur? Do you think it wise to plan for them now? (cont’d. on next page)

10 4. Accepting the given that “parking is destiny” (p. 207), how do the authors deal with this fact of life?

The authors claim that they “are prepared to sacrifice architecture on the altar of urbanism because all [urban] architecture is meaningless in the absence of good urban design” (p. 210-11).

5. Remembering disjointed lower King Street, do you agree? What conclusions, if any, follow if you do agree?

6. Comment on their headnote from Thoreau’s Walden: “To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.”

11 Suburban Nation Study Guide Chapter 11

Chapter 11 is concerned with altering the government policies at all levels that have encouraged sprawl and prevented alternative forms of development. Reversing the trend of the past 50 years, they favor policies which “demand a commitment to community at every level of government” (p. 218). They ask that we consider this basic question: “Is it the role of government to promote individual rights while defending the common good, or to promote the common good while defending individual rights?” (p. 219)

1. How would you answer this question? Is promoting community part of this common good? Explain.

Faith in markets and in the private sector alone to bring us “places of lasting value” is seriously undermined by the necessary business principle of calculating the “cost of capital” (note, p.220).

2. What is this principle? Should we expect developers to deviate from it? If we can’t expect this, what should we do?

Our authors claim that: “As work – especially well-paid work – becomes increasingly independent of place, those cities which lack a healthy regional organization will gradually lose their most productive residents to places that offer shorter commutes, cleaner air, and easier access to both nature and culture.” (p. 229)

3. Do you agree or disagree? Explain. (Please note that they are not claiming they will lose all of their residents or all of their productive residents – just their most productive residents.) (cont’d. on next page)

12 Instead of mandating changes, our authors consistently advocate giving governments and private developers choices to continue to sprawl or to grow smart. They also consistently advocate incentives for smart growth actions, including negative incentives, such as denial of State road and school funds to local governments that continue policies of sprawl (consider New Jersey’s “tough love” incentives, p. 230).

4. Is the use of negative incentives fair? Effective? Consider extra taxes on cigarettes as an example.

Citizens must initiate all of the necessary changes in government policies if sprawl is to be reversed. However, to be effective citizens must hold fast to the five most frequently forgotten or misconstrued truths of good planning. These are:

(1) “Growth cannot be stopped: it never has been. The only hope is to shape it into a more benevolent form, the neighborhood.” (p. 242) (2) “The profit motive is not the problem with development. The best neighborhoods in America were built for profit.” (p. 242) (3) “Most issues are inter-related. Traffic, housing, schools, crime, and the environment can be successfully addressed only if taken together, within the context of the neighborhood.” (p. 242) (4) “Planners and other professionals are specialists who, when left to themselves, distort the issues. Only generalists can be trusted to offer reasonable advice.” (p. 242) (5) “The role of the generalist must be played by citizens, but citizens can forfeit that role by becoming the specialists of their own backyard. A Nimby is nothing but a specialist who lacks formal training.” (p. 243)

5. Are you intellectually and ethically prepared to accept and act on these truths? Do any of them give you particular problems?

8/19/2003

13