New Suburbanism

Description

by Dan Chiras and Dave Wann:

"We don’t consider the suburbs to be an endpoint in human cultural and social evolution. In fact, we like to think that the suburbs are best viewed as “a work in progress.” In other words, the suburbs aren’t finished yet. We believe that there are enormous opportunities to reinvent existing suburban neighborhoods, making life friendlier, less stressful, less expensive, and easier on the environment.

Starting with what’s already in place, how can we tune up our neighborhoods to better serve our needs? How can we increase opportunities for doing what we humans rely on—cooperation? How can we create neighborhoods that promote better health?

One way to make existing suburbs healthier is to restructure them—to make them more like villages. We call this idea the new suburbanism. New suburbanism involves many steps. In fact, we’ve identified over 30. One is to tear down fences in our backyards to create a community green from the isolated back lawns that now exist in most suburbs. In the community green, neighbors can plant a community garden, grow fruit trees, and create a playground for neighborhood children, as well as places for socializing. Garden, fence, and path.

Fruits and vegetables from the garden and orchard increase community self-reliance and deliver a host of environmental benefits from eating locally produced food. Giving children and adults considerably more elbow room, community greens help promote a sense of extended family, drawing the neighborhood more tightly together.

Because so much of our lives is spent behind the steering wheel of our automobiles, we also propose creating more diverse neighborhoods; for example, by converting a house purchased by the neighborhood into a convenience store. Offering fresh fruits and vegetables, neighborhood crafts, and a place to gather, a neighborhood store provides employment and eliminates the need to burn a quart of gasoline to pick up a quart of milk. Milk, bread, and other necessities are just a short stroll away.

Upstairs, living space of the converted home could be converted office space for the self-employed members of the neighborhood. Instead of commuting halfway across town to go to work, neighborhood offices could be a two-minute walk from residents’ front doors. The new pedestrian commute saves on automobile expenses, reduces congestion on local highways, provides a little exercise, cuts down on pollution, and—best of all—frees up an hour or two of time every day for those who no longer have to travel to and from work by car!

But there’s more to creating Superbia! You and your neighbors could form a community work-share program. In work-share programs, neighbors help each other plant gardens, remodel basements, and cut firewood. They help us check off those long lists of chores we’ve been dreading, save time and money, and draw a community closer together.

The opportunities for creating a village atmosphere in an existing neighborhood are many, as are the benefits." (http://www.terrain.org/articles/13/superbia.htm)