Suburban Century: Social Change and Urban Growth in England and the USA Book

Uninspired architecture. Soulless. Destructive of communities. The suburbs are much-maligned places. We see this again and again in recent films like American Beauty and The Ice Storm. But are they really as homogenous and conservative as we think they are? In this wide-ranging comparative study of the United States and England, Mark Clapson revises our views of suburbia. Clapson challenges deeply held myths by demonstrating the complexity of suburban life. He shows how suburbs are becoming increasingly multicultural and compares the minority's suburban experience in both countries. He analyzes voting patterns to reveal some surprising political trends. In addition, he discusses gender and the experience of community life. Throughout, he uncovers the similarities and differences in the American and English experience of suburbanization in the twentieth century. This is a timely and original account that looks beyond the stereotypes of life in the 'burbs.Read More