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Synopses & Reviews
A lively history of the contested landscapes where the majority of Americans now live,
Building Suburbia chronicles two centuries in the birth and development of America’s metropolitan regions.
From rustic cottages reached by steamboat to big box stores at the exit ramps of eight-lane highways, Dolores Hayden defines seven eras of suburban development since 1820. An urban historian and architect, she portrays housewives and politicians as well as designers and builders making the decisions that have generated America’s diverse suburbs. Residents have sought home, nature, and community in suburbia. Developers have cherished different dreams, seeking profit from economies of scale and increased suburban densities, while lobbying local and federal government to reduce the risk of real estate speculation. Encompassing environmental controversies as well as the complexities of race, gender, and class, Hayden’s fascinating account will forever alter how we think about the communities we build and inhabit.
Review:
“A lively and informative overview of the American mania for suburban living. . . . Fascinating.” –
Audubon Naturalist NewsReview:
“Compelling and beautifully written. . . . It reads like a novel and at the same time offers an insightful social and political history of the rise of the suburbs in the United States. Hayden redefines the American Dream and critiques the rise of segregated housing and the isolated communities characteristic of the suburban landscape. There is no other book quite like this one because of its accessibility and breadth of scholarship.” –Setha M. Low, author of Behind the Gates: Life, Security, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Fortress America
Review:
“Wonderful–a great combination of human reaction and scholarly insight.” –Virginia McAlester, author of
A Field Guide to American HousesReview:
“Readable and revealing. . . . Insightful reading.” –Cape Cod Times
Review:
“Dolores Hayden is a unique urban pathfinder. She hunts down the relationships among popular aspirations, big urban players, and the everyday experience of domestic life. In this book she traces the history of our suburban metropolises, guiding the reader through seven easily recognized on-the-street patterns. The end of the history is now, when the government and private corporations anxiously push to maintain our cities of consumption. And yes, she has found a way leading from this dead end.” –Sam Bass Warner, Jr., author of Streetcar Suburbs
Review:
“A fascinating book, as well as an important one.” –
Tulsa WorldSynopsis:
A lively history of the contested landscapes where the majority of Americans now live, "Building Suburbia chronicles two centuries in the birth and development of America's metropolitan regions. <BR>From rustic cottages reached by steamboat to big box stores at the exit ramps of eight-lane highways, Dolores Hayden defines seven eras of suburban development since 1820. An urban historian and architect, she portrays housewives and politicians as well as designers and builders making the decisions that have generated America's diverse suburbs. Residents have sought home, nature, and community in suburbia. Developers have cherished different dreams, seeking profit from economies of scale and increased suburban densities, while lobbying local and federal government to reduce the risk of real estate speculation. Encompassing environmental controversies as well as the complexities of race, gender, and class, Hayden's fascinating account will forever alter how we think about the communities we build and inhabit.
About the Author
Dolores Hayden, an urban historian and architect, writes about American landscapes and the politics of design. She is a professor of architecture and American studies at Yale University. In addition to
Building Suburbia, her books include
A Field Guide to Sprawl and
The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History. Hayden is also a poet whose work has appeared in
The Yale Review, Southwest Review, The Kenyon Review, Verse Daily, and
Michigan Quarterly Review. Her collection,
American Yard, was published in 2004.
Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments Part One THE AMERICAN METROPOLITAN LANDSCAPE
One: The Shapes of Suburbia
Two: The Suburban City
Part Two HISTORIC PATTERNS IN THE LANDSCAPE
Three: Borderlands
Four: Picturesque Enclaves
Five: Streetcar Buildouts
Six: Mail-Order and Self-Built Suburbs
Seven: Sitcom Suburbs
Eight: Edge Nodes
Nine: Rural Fringes
Part Three THE NEXT SUBURBS
Ten: Nostalgia and Futurism
Eleven: The Importance of Older Suburbs
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
