'Infinite Suburbia' Upends Everything We Know About Suburbia

Joel Kotkin and Alan M. Berger discuss their new book, which analyses what the suburbs are and will become, in both the United States and around the world.

1 minute read

December 7, 2017, 8:00 AM PST

By snewberg @JoeUrbanist


Suburban Neighborhood

Alan Sheldon / Shutterstock

A new book, Infinite Suburbia, edited by Joel Kotkin and Alan M. Berger, looks at suburbia from a variety of perspectives. At more than 700 pages, it is a collection of essays from the perspectives of architecture, planning, history, and transportation, to name a few. The Architect's Newspaper interviewed Kotkin and Berger about it.

In the interview, Kotkin is quoted:

"Two trends that may seem counterintuitive to urbanists have been the rapid pattern of diversification in suburbs, which now hold most of the nation’s immigrants and minorities, as well as the fact that suburbs are more egalitarian and less divided by class than core cities."

Kotkin and Berger point out that suburbs are not just diversifying, but that many U.S. central cities exhibit suburban land use patterns. Conversely, many cities around the world have suburbs with housing that is primarily multifamily and dense, a far cry from the transitional American single-family home and manicured lawn.

They point out that the future of suburbs will continue to be denser, but also more environmentally friendly. Suburbanites will demand fewer golf courses in the future and more public trails and common landscapes. They also believe autonomous cars will transform suburbia, and take strain off of transit systems so they can focus on improving service in urban cores rather than expanding outward in less efficient ways.

Thursday, November 30, 2017 in The Architect's Newspaper

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

View of residential street in Los Angeles with palm trees and hazy city in distance.

Rebuilding Smarter: How LA County Is Guiding Fire-Ravaged Communities Toward Resilience

Los Angeles County is leading a coordinated effort to help fire-impacted communities rebuild with resilience by providing recovery resources, promoting fire-wise design, and aligning reconstruction with broader sustainability and climate goals.

5 hours ago - Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office

Entrance sign for San Jose-Santa Clara Regional wastewater treatment facility.

When Borders Blur: Regional Collaboration in Action

As regional challenges outgrow city boundaries, “When Borders Blur” explores how cross-jurisdictional collaboration can drive smarter, more resilient urban planning, sharing real-world lessons from thriving partnerships across North America.

7 hours ago - * A Placemaking Journal

Rendering of Penrose Roundabout in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia Is Expanding its Network of Roundabouts

Roundabouts are widely shown to decrease traffic speed, reduce congestion, and improve efficiency.

April 27 - WHYY