As I started reading Bickford, I tried to keep the highlighter out of sight! I found myself longing for the color splashed across my page. After reading through twice, I have now highlighted, commented and successfully created havoc in the margins.
One of the topics that related to me right away was the discussion of CIDs and PUDs in the housing market. I had never really thought of the source for these homes. I was surprised that the government created this housing demand. The need did not create the product. "CIDs originated in response to land scarcity after the first swell of postwar suburban construction; common ownership plans were not utopian social experiments but simply a way to put more people on less space." (Bickford) The government is responsible for creating this product and finding a way to sell it.
My personal experience with this idea happened a few years ago when looking for my first house. I found myself immersed in a sea of CIDs and PUDs. Among the benefits of these "products", these homes offered something brand new! No home repairs, no hideous carpet, no running to Home Depot on Saturday afternoon to fight the crowd. After looking at several different communities, all within five minutes of each other, I started to forget which was which. Beige, tan, sand. Two car garages and 2.5 kids. I could already picture a swing set in the backyard and I don't have kids! I become frustrated by the lack of diversity. I ended up continuing my housing search until I found a great neighborhood. It was full of diversity, still had block parties once a month. Although my house was a traditional multi-level trac-style home popping up on empty lots through out the city, I was at least surrounded by the diversity that only time can develop.
My brother-in-law did buy a home in one of those communities. He has a two car garage, three children and his house is some sort of tan color. Although he wasn't running to Home Depot every Saturday with me, he has had other things to deal with. His third car, which doesn't fit in the two car garage, is not allowed to be parked outside overnight. His neighbors have complained and now he must either park his car in his back yard or find some other place for it at night. For the sake of property values...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Many who choose to live in CIDs and the like chafe at the silly rules about garden design and paint colors and working on your car in the driveway, and yet love the (perhaps related?) feelings of safety and exclusivity they offer. The CCRs are a small annoyance in the face of security (which is an emotional rather than an empirical state).
One thing I always notice about such places is the complete adherence to functional zoning. You'll rarely find a store or a school or a church in one of these developments. That causes lots of problems for older residents who can't drive, teenagers who don't yet drive, and the infinite number of soccer moms who have to drive everyone everywhere. It's another form of spatial inequality that Bickford doesn't dwell on much, but it's strong for those who endure it.
I completely agree. My sister-in-law is one of those soccer moms. Although not in soccer, the barage of birthday parties, grocery shopping and school supplies leaves her constantly on the move. One of things I loved about the neighborhood I bought in was that we could walk to a variety of services. Their neighborhood does feature a church but in a city with a dominant religion that one is not a member of, it might as well not be there.
And, as a side note, Forbes just listed America's Fastest Growing Suburbs. My brother-in-law lives in number 48.
I agree with Herb.
I chose my current living situation based on the school which is a nationally recognized school, its proximity to my work and the diversity of the neighborhood. I assure you when I was searching for my new home many offered wonderful suggestions that are all just a congested highway commute away.
As for the mention of home ownership associations, these exist regardless of the community type. I am originally from San Antonio and recall the roasting of the author Sandra Cisneros for her chosen color palette for her historic home she purchased in the King William District. She fought for her right to have a purple house, and she won. Today when you drive through San Antonio’s historic neighborhoods you see a flood of colors that almost rival those of Fiesta.
I agree with Herb, in that the adherence to functional zoning is absolute. I was once told by a city official in the zoning department, that "Zoning is just a good way to use a car." I never thought about it before, but by separating out uses to an extreme degree, Zoning does indeed fuel our car dependent society while simultaneously excluding certain elements from accessing basic services.
On a personal note, my wife and I have just in the past month, started to look for our first home.
In looking at places, there is a definite temptation to buy the new & avoid the maintenance hassles / lack of air conditioning, that are integral problems with buying an older residence.
I must also admit that as I am looking for a place, I never feel quite right in a PUD / CID. I always feel some sense of "suburban angst", like I'm stepping onto a stage set, or the city in the movie Edward Scissor Hands. I don't feel much better / more authentic stepping into the "New Urbanist" Kistch that has popped up in the form of shopping malls in recent years.
One of the reason that I think we have such problems with these archetypes (PUD / CID / Kistch Malls) is that in general, architects shy away from engaging the suburban. As it is neglected, it will evolve with the absence of thought. I guess that sooner or later I must confront my "Suburban Angst", but in the meantime, I know what you mean Annie when you talk about forgetting the differences between beige, tan and sand.
Hello everyone… I’ve enjoyed the “passion” you have about the PUD I live in!!!
I have lived in the old established diverse neighborhood.
When I graduated from school 20 years ago, I had my mind set on an old home that I could make my own (and afford). My wife and I bought a grand ole 1915 house with a personality. That house became our home, beautiful wood floors, a grand wood staircase, real etched glass in the doors, and an oak tree that would shade the house all day in the hot summer. We knew our neighbors; we actually had the “block party” in our driveway.
Then the neighborhood changed, the older neighbors passed away, the new neighbors moved in, the new neighbors didn’t care about their yards the way the old neighbors did. The new neighbors didn’t paint their houses like the old neighbors did. The new neighbors weren’t as friendly as the old neighbors.
We loved our (close to the) turn of the century house with a personality. We often make the comment that we wished we had that old house, coughing furnace, leaking windows and all. Fortunately I have a choice to locate my soccer mom wife and family to an area that is safe and the neighbors do care. It also has two Home Depots and two Lowes within six miles!!!
Everyone has made some interesting comments. Have a great evening and I look forward to meeting everyone in Boston.
David
I think this has been a great post. I have enjoyed reading everyone's comments thus far. I agree with Herb's comments regarding the fact that people will sacrifice all the freedom and follow the rules as long as they have that sense of safety. One's safety seems to be the #1 concern in our society today. We focus on it in our travels (airports, trains, vehicles - constantly adding air bags, etc.), our school systems - constantly increasing security after school violence, retailing, etc. It has become engrained in all of us that we need to set everything else aside for the importance of safety. My question is this. To what extent do we go to remain/feel safe? Will we throw all of our once called freedoms away in order to feel safe? How will that impact our lives? Will we all begin to segregate ourselves even further from one another to the point that society is no longer an active society but instead we are hiding behind new technology such as the IMs, e-mail, texting, etc.?
There's an old joke about urban planning that says there are only two rules:
Rule #1: Any two points can be connected by a car.
Rule #2: Anyone who matters has a car.
We can couch this discussion in terms of choice, but we have to always remember that some people have no choices. The young people I study, for instance, have no choice about what city they live in, what house they live in, often even what room they live in. They have no more control over the exterior color of their house than a PUD-dweller with the mandated palette.
Choice is, in many ways, a privileged position. What do we do for those with fewer options?
These comments are really great to read. The more posts the better I think.
I have never lived in a CID but I have experienced a military installation for 5 full time years. I have lived in Sacramento, CA and Panama City, Panama. It seems the military environment is much like the atmostphere of the CID. The soccer moms that take turns to transport the local kids to and from practice are all over the base. Relationships everyone develops sticks with you for years. There is even a wives club that specifically organizes special events. Today my closest friends are the ones I met while in the military. Seperating from the military was difficult. It was like my family was the entire base.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I think we find this interesting because we could all relate to this at one point in our lives or another. So let me add a bit more to the soup, the more that I read the different posts, the more I see the word "Security" or "safety" as a form of protection from physical danger. I too bought a first home in a PUD. My wife and I thought this will give us the opportunity to safely invest our money as first time buyers. This security was also for a guarantee to live in area where colors were not popping up like skittles or look like auto repair shops. In our case, this was a safe step for a future to come. If I remember hard enough, these gated communities were also mainly occupied by young to middle professionals and not so much of the elder, unless they were seeking security from the auto world.
Post a Comment