Justin Davidson reviews a new exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art called “Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream”, that asks architect-led teams to address the myriad problems plaguing the country's suburbs.
Davidson starts by outlining the numerous challenges facing the suburbs today, including acres of abandoned foreclosures, rising transportation costs, social and cultural transformations, and "acres of sparsely used parking lots flanking clogged roads."
The author then recounts the exhibit's "magnificently ambitious" attempts by five teams of architects, economists, engineers, lawyers, landscape designers, and other specialists to develop innovative solutions to such problems in five specific suburban locales, while staying grounded to practical realities.
Despite being prevented by the curators from straying too far into speculation, the results of the exercise revealed ingrained challenges to re-purposing.
According to Davidson, "precisely because the groups tackled their missions from multiple angles, they maximized the number of opponents who could prevent any of these projects from getting built. That's the paradox of trying to transform the suburbs: The only way to get it done is by rewriting laws, rationalizing markets, reforming the construction industry, and changing the culture all at once-which probably can't be done."
FULL STORY: Can This Suburb Be Saved?
How Easy Will It Be To Shift Suburbia?
A recent panel held at the Museum of Modern Art in conjunction with their current exhibition, Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream, provided a reality check for the visionary thinking depicted in the show, writes Jayne Merkel.
The Natalist Case For Sprawl (And Why It Fails)
Some commentators defend anti-urban government policies such as exclusionary zoning on the basis that homeowning suburbanites have high birth rates. But this doesn't seem to be true in recent decades.
Off-Street Parking in the Midburbs
In several New Jersey cities, eliminating parking requirements has boosted local businesses.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
Transportation Research Centers Lose Key Federal Funding
The federal University Transportation Center program funds critical transportation research and innovation at 35 consortia of colleges and universities.
Savannah Reduces Speed Limits on Almost 100 City Streets
The historic Georgia city is lowering speed limits in an effort to reduce road fatalities.
A Park Reborn: Resilience and Renewal in Fire-Stricken Altadena
Rebuilt in just two months after the devastating Eaton Fire, Loma Alta Park now stands as a symbol of community resilience and renewal, even as some residents hope recovery efforts will continue to support housing stability and long-term equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Clovis
City of Moorpark
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions