Sick of Suburbia

Boston suburbanites, who are fed up with their car-based existence, are part of a larger trend of suburbanites rethinking their environment.

1 minute read

October 29, 2003, 8:00 AM PST

By Connie Chung


"Sick of driving miles from housing developments to restaurants and strip malls, often through snarled traffic, many residents are looking to make sidewalks, bike trails, and commuter lines their preferred thoroughfares....In many suburbs outside of Boston, fewer than 8 percent of residents walk or use public transportation to get to work....Meanwhile, 45 percent of Bostonians...are pounding the pavement at least five days a week....But even as many suburbanites are rethinking their environment, some experts say there is still an appetite for large homes with green yards and plenty of garage space. 'Americans don't have one single idea of how they want to live,' said Yale University professor Dolores Hayden....'You'll find that the McMansions are growing popular even as other people are reevaluating their surroundings. I see things happening at both ends of the scale," Hayden said....Health and planning experts say that it's not that suburban residents don't want to walk. It's just that they rarely have the chance."

Thanks to Connie Chung

Sunday, October 26, 2003 in The Boston Globe

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