Long held as a symbol of middle-class success and the American Dream, homogenous, monocultural lawns are quickly falling out of favor as people opt for more ecologically friendly gardens that conserve water and increase biodiversity.

Writing in the Washington Post, Dan Zak examines the American obsession with lawns and the growing anti-lawn movement gaining steam in an era of extreme water shortages.
American suburbia has long been defined by “Lawns: emerald green — no, alien green — and kept that way by maniacal vigilance and an elaborate system of pipes and potions, organic and otherwise, in defiance of ecology.” Zak positions awns as a container for our national anxieties, writing: “We’ve been sweeping our anxieties under these green comfort blankets for quite some time.”
In the early and middle parts of the twentieth century, “Lawns were a sign of taste, calm, power, privilege, order, discipline, especially in the aftermath of World War II.” More recently, that trend has reversed, as lawns “began to signal waste, disregard, disharmony, homogeneity, gentrification, zombie Boomerism.” While ornamental lawn grass is still the biggest crop in America, using 9 billion gallons of water a day, attitudes are shifting. “California’s main water utility is paying customers between $2 and $5 for each square foot of living turf that they remove. Last year Nevada outlawed certain types of lawn; rather, the state legislature prohibited the use of water from the dribbling Colorado River to feed certain types of “nonfunctional turf,” which in southern Nevada slurps up to 12 billion gallons of water every year (more than 10 percent of the state’s usage of the river).”
As landscaper Dave Marciniak points out, “Turf serves a purpose, he wrote. It’s soft and durable for recreation. It provides visual relief for the eye, and contrast for landscaping.” But other materials and plants can serve the same purpose, and more lawn devotees are realizing the potential of xeriscaping and other eco-friendly ways to replace lawns with sustainable, locally appropriate landscaping.
FULL STORY: There’s a water crisis. Why do we still have lawns?

New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.

Rethinking the Role of Parking in the American City
In cities big and small, the tide is turning against sprawling parking lots, car-centric development, and minimum parking mandates.

Friday Eye Candy: 20 AI-Generated Cityscapes
AI-generated images are creating new landscapes and cityscapes, capable of inspiring awe or fear.

People on Bikes Outnumber Drivers in the City of London
The City of London’s efforts to increase biking and reduce driving has finally achieved a long-term goal: a preference for biking over driving.

Planners Look to ‘Activity Centers’ for Sustainable Development
Existing hubs of ‘hyperlocal’ economic activity provide a model for urban density.

Federal E-Bike Rebate Bill Reintroduced
The bill, part of an effort to encourage active transportation for short trips and take cars off U.S. roads, would cover 30 percent of the cost of an electric bike.
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