Radical Suburbs : Experimental Living on the Fringes of the American City

" Radical Suburbs is a revelation. Amanda Kolson Hurley will open your eyes to the wide diversity and rich history of our ongoing suburban experiment."--Richard Florida America's suburbs are not the homogenous places we sometimes take them for. Today's suburbs are racially, ethnically, and economically diverse, with as many Democratic as Republican voters, a growing population of renters, and rising poverty. The cliche of broad lawns and white picket fences is well past its expiration date. The history of suburbia is equally surprising. Rather than bland, sprawling cookie-cutter developments, some American suburbs were once fertile ground for utopian planning, communal living, socially conscious design, and integrated housing. In Radical Suburbs , Amanda Kolson Hurley, an editor at Bloomberg Businessweek , takes us on a tour of some of these radical communities, including: - the co-housing commune of Old Economy, Pennsylvania - a tiny-house anarchist community in Piscataway, New Jersey - a government-planned garden city in Greenbelt, Maryland - a racially integrated subdivision (before the Fair Housing Act) in Trevose, Pennsylvania - experimental Modernist enclaves in Lexington, Massachusetts - and the mixed-use, architecturally daring Reston, Virginia. Here you will find blueprints for affordable, walkable, and integrated communities, filled with a range of environmentally sound residential options. It's a timely reminder, as NPR put it, that "any place, even a suburb, can be radical if you approach it the right way." An insightful study that will make you rethink your assumptions about suburbia and possibly remake its future. “A revelation... will open your eyes to the wide diversity and rich history of our ongoing suburban experiment.” —Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class America's suburbs are not the homogenous places we sometimes take them for. Today's suburbs are racially, ethnically, and economically diverse, with as many Democratic as Republican voters, a growing population of renters, and rising poverty. The cliche of white picket fences is well past its expiration date. The history of suburbia is equally surprising: American suburbs were once fertile ground for utopian planning, communal living, socially-conscious design, and integrated housing. We have forgotten that we built suburbs like these, such as the co-housing commune of Old Economy, Pennsylvania; a tiny-house anarchist community in Piscataway, New Jersey; a government-planned garden city in Greenbelt, Maryland; a racially integrated subdivision (before the Fair Housing Act) in Trevose, Pennsylvania; experimental Modernist enclaves in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the mixed-use, architecturally daring Reston, Virginia. Inside Radical Suburbs you will find blueprints for affordable, walkable, and integrated communities, filled with a range of environmentally sound residential options. Radical Suburbs is a history that will help us remake the future and rethink our assumptions of suburbia. “The communities Kolson Hurley chronicles are welcome reminders that any place, even a suburb, can be radical if you approach it the right way.” —NPR “Radical Suburbs overturns stereotypes about the suburbs to show that, from the beginning, those ‘little boxes'harbored revolutionary ideas about racial and economic inclusion, communal space, and shared domestic labor. Amanda Kolson Hurley's illuminating case studies show not just where we've been but where we need to go.” ―Alexandra Lange, author of The Design of Childhood Americas suburbs are not the homogenous places we sometimes take them for. Todays suburbs are racially, ethnically, and economically diverse, with as many Democratic as Republican voters, a growing population of renters, and rising poverty. The cliche of white picket fences is well past its expiration date. The history of suburbia is equally surprising: American suburbs were once fertile ground for utopian planning, communal living, socially-conscious design, and integrated housing. We have forgotten that we built suburbs like these, such as the co-housing commune of Old Economy, Pennsylvania; a tiny-house anarchist community in Piscataway, New Jersey; a government-planned garden city in Greenbelt, Maryland; a racially integrated subdivision (before the Fair Housing Act) in Trevose, Pennsylvania; experimental Modernist enclaves in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the mixed-use, architecturally daring Reston, Virginia. Inside Radical Suburbs: Experimental Living on the Fringes of the American City you will find blueprints for affordable, walkable, and integrated communities, filled with a range of environmentally sound residential options. Radical Suburbs is a history that will help us remake the future and rethink our assumptions of suburbia. American Suburbs Are Not The Homogeneous Places We Sometimes Take Them For. Today's Suburbs Are Racially, Ethnically, And Economically Diverse With As Many Democratic As Republican Voters, A Growing Population Of Renters, And Rising Poverty. The Cliché Of White Picket Fences Is Well Past Its Expiration Date. The History Of Suburbia Is Equally Surprising: American Suburbs Were Once Fertile Ground For Utopian Planning, Communal Living, Socially-conscious Design, And Integrated Housing. We Have Forgotten That We Built Suburbs Like These, Such As A Co-housing Commune Near Pittsburgh, A Tiny-house Anarchist Community In New Jersey, A Government-planned Garden City In The Dc Suburbs, And A Racially Integrated Subdivision Outside Philadelphia. Radical Suburbs Is A History That Will Help Us Remake The Future And Rethink Our Assumptions Of Suburbia--back Cover. Celibacy And Co-housing On The Suburban Frontier -- The Anarchists Who Took The Commuter Train -- The Rise And Fall Of The New Deal's Garden City -- When The Bauhaus Met The Subdivision -- Integrating The Suburbs At Checkerboard Square -- The Fight Over The Soul Of A New Town. Amanda Kolson Hurley. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 161-172). **"__Radical Suburbs__ is a revelation. Amanda Kolson Hurley will open your eyes to the wide diversity and rich history of our ongoing suburban experiment."--Richard Florida** The history of suburbia is equally surprising. Rather than bland, sprawling cookie-cutter developments, some American suburbs were once fertile ground for utopian planning, communal living, socially conscious design, and integrated housing. In __Radical Suburbs__, Amanda Kolson Hurley, an editor at __Bloomberg Businessweek__, takes us on a tour of some of these radical communities, including: - a tiny-house anarchist community in Piscataway, New Jersey - a racially integrated subdivision (before the Fair Housing Act) in Trevose, Pennsylvania - and the mixed-use, architecturally daring Reston, Virginia. An insightful study that will make you rethink your assumptions about suburbia and possibly remake its future.