Both supporters and opponents of the sprawl status quo often refer to suburbia as “The American Dream.” One sprawl-defending organization even calls itself “The American Dream Coalition.”
Both supporters and opponents of the sprawl status quo often refer to suburbia as "The American Dream." One sprawl-defending organization even calls itself "The American Dream Coalition". Sprawl critics use similar language; for example, in 1998, the Sierra Club issued a report titled "Sprawl: The Dark Side of the American Dream."
The equation of the "American Dream" with sprawl is inconsistent with the term's original meaning. The term "American Dream" was apparently invented in 1931 by historian James Truslow Adams; he was referring to "That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement." (Youngro Lee, To Dream Or Not To Dream, 16 Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy 231, 232). Thus, the term "American Dream" means not one type of house on one type of lot, but an economy open to talent, whether in dense cities, streetcar suburbs, or small towns.
More importantly, the use of the term "American Dream" to describe just one type of development is so inconsistent with America's libertarian values as to be almost un-American.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that people are "endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." To me, "liberty" implies some diversity of living arrangements - not just suburbs, but big cities and small, rural retreats and small towns. "Liberty" implies that Americans should be free to create Manhattan as well as Montana.
By contrast, the use of the term "American Dream" to describe the sprawl status quo implies that only one form of development is "American" - that large-lot suburbia, as the "American Dream", is what all real Americans want, and that cities and small towns and rural areas are for foreigners. There is nothing particularly libertarian about such an attitude.
Sprawl critics weaken their position by allowing their opponents to get away with such abuses of patriotism. Instead, supporters of more compact development should be reclaiming the mantle of Americanism themselves - for example, by suggesting that people are freer when they can walk as well as drive.
Op-Ed: Stop Attacking My Suburb!
A proud suburban resident defends her neighborhood from the criticisms of city-dwellers. It's not walkable, it's not perfect, but it's home.
Debating the Feasibility of Retrofitting Suburbia
Is the challenge of retrofitting sprawl intractable or unavoidable?
Op-Ed: Newer Model Density Falls Short of its Promise
The general principle is simple: more density equals lower prices and less environmental impact. But suburbia's imprint is deep, both on cities themselves and on how we expect to inhabit them.
America’s Best New Bike Lanes
PeopleForBikes highlights some of the most exciting new bike infrastructure projects completed in 2022.
Massachusetts Zoning Reform Law Reaches First Deadline
Cities and towns had until January 31 to submit their draft plans for rezoning areas near transit stations to comply with a new state law.
Green Alleys: A New Paradigm for Stormwater Management
Rather than shuttling stormwater away from the city and into the ocean as quickly as possible, Los Angeles is now—slowly—moving toward a ‘city-as-sponge’ approach that would capture and reclaim more water to recharge crucial reservoirs.
Hawaii State Bills Could Limit or Expand Affordable Housing Law
Some legislators see a law that provides a zoning exemption to affordable housing builders as a necessary way to alleviate the housing crisis, while others worry about the impact of fast-tracked development on land zoned for conservation.
Cleveland: The Nation’s Most Equitably Walkable City
A new study assesses which cities have the broadest access to walkable neighborhoods.
Conspiracy Theorists Discover the 15-Minute City
USA Today debunks the false claim that the United Nations’ call for enabling 15-minute cities is a coded plan to institute ‘climate change lockdowns.’
Ascent Environmental
California Polytechnic State University
City of Albuquerque Planning Department
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Hercules
City of Fitchburg, WI
City of Culver City
Write for Planetizen
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.
