Redefining Suburbia

Suburban housing is a building type and form of development that has been neglected by many architects. Architects are responsible for designing only two percent of suburban residences. This means that the profession has largely ceded the best opportunity to be relevant and useful to ordinary people. The name itself, sub-urban, implies that the suburbs are less than or secondary to the urban typology. Suburban can also be used as an adjective to describe something which is dull and ordinary. And yet, more and more people continue to move to the suburbs each year. Since 1970, a greater percentage of the population has lived in the suburbs than in central cities or rural areas.

This thesis examines why people want to live in the suburbs and the impact of suburban development on the economy, the environment and social institutions. The conclusions of this investigation are then used to redefine the current concept of suburbia as it relates to nature, community and diversity. These concepts are in turn incorporated into a prototype for a suburban housing development. The prototype is a 38 unit residential housing development on a 2-acre wooded site in a suburb 16 miles west of Washington, DC.