Alternative suburban settlements

This Thesis begins with two premises.

As architects:

I. We assume responsibility for the built environment.

II. We should perceive and address change in society.

The focus is an exploration into possible solutions to the paradigm of the suburban settlement.

1995

The condition of life in suburbia is currently drifting away from the ever-changing reality of our culture. The strongly infused notion of a private dwelling amidst a green grass setting has been the normative goal of living for most of our society during its evolution, but particularly since WWII. Much of what is built in suburbia today is done through the inertia of habit. The suburbs continue to be built as if families were large and supported by one income; and as if land and energy were boundless. These conditions have led to patterns of growth which are dysfunctional. The vast land areas covered by this type of settlement require ever-expanding roadways, which in turn become less and less practical to those who live there. More time is devoured daily by getting from one place to another, through a landscape of built sameness. The controlled environments people typically live in; the automobile, workplace, and house, diminish the possibilities of insightful experience that are a part of life in either urban or rural settings. Suburbia, as a place between extremes, offers diluted opportunities for a richness in the quality of life. The architecture of the suburban condition needs to make places which allow both social interaction and truer connections to nature.