British Suburban Development Officially Discouraged

A new exhibition on the history of the suburb is opening at Middlesex University in October. Suburbia has become a serious topic in the UK, and suburban traits 'appear to be something to be ashamed of.'

1 minute read

September 30, 2005, 1:00 PM PDT

By Brenda Meyer


"Suburbia's transformation from the butt of jokes to a weighty issue is about to be underlined further. On October 11 an exhibition entitled In Search of Suburbia opens at the Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture (Moda) at Middlesex University. It traces the development of six 20th-century suburbs in London, from Edwardian Palmers Green to Enfield Island Village, in the 1990s.

"...Suburban developments are now officially discouraged. The deputy prime minister, John Prescott, wants "sustainable communities" of tightly-knit settlements that mix commercial and residential buildings. His sustainable communities plan associates suburbs with 'sprawl'."

Thursday, September 29, 2005 in The Guardian

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