Does This City Make Me Look Suburban?

Travel + Leisure magazine confuses suburbs with small cities in a recent article called "Coolest Suburbs Worth a Visit." The New Urban Network shows how they got it wrong.

1 minute read

September 22, 2010, 2:00 PM PDT

By The Intrepid Staff


The article sets up the premise that suburbs are becoming cool:

"Americans have a love-hate relationship with the ever-sprawling communities outside the country's big cities...Hollywood hasn't helped the suburban profile, typically portraying these communities as boring, conformist places, spiced up by a few desperate housewives here and there. Yet a number of suburbs around the country blow up the stereotype and are worth a visit on your next trip."

New Urban Network took a look at the 10 "suburbs" cited in the article:

"Only trouble is that seven of the ten suburbs are incorporated cities - Evanston, Illinois: Lakewood, Ohio; Bellevue, Washington; Roswell, Georgia; Alameda, California; Birmingham, Michigan; and Ashland, Oregon. Bellevue became a city most recently - in 1953. Of the three remaining, one is a town, West Hartford, Connecticut, and another is a township, Montclair, New Jersey - both have the density and street grids of small, traditional cities."

Thanks to Renee Brutvan

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 in New Urban Network

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

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

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.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

Rendering of white three-story single-stair building in Austin, Texas with staircase in the middle.

Austin's First Single Stair Apartment Building is Officially Underway

Eliminating the requirement for two staircases in multi-story residential buildings lets developers use smaller lots and more flexible designs to create denser housing.

15 minutes ago - Building Design & Construction

MARTA bus with Atlanta skyline in background

Atlanta Bus System Redesign Will Nearly Triple Access

MARTA's Next Gen Bus Network will retool over 100 bus routes, expand frequent service.

1 hour ago - Mass Transit

Tall modern condo buildings on both sides of CN Tower rising in middle.

Toronto Condo Sales Drop 75%

In two of Canada’s most expensive cities, more condos were built than ever — and sales are plummeting.

2 hours ago - Financial Post