Suburbia

It is nice to know that there was criticism of the suburbs throughout the 50's and 60's when the post-war suburbs really seemed to sprout. Sadly, this clearly didn't take a strong root because those suburbs are still present, and more and more are sprouting up today.

I strongly agree with both Lewis Mumford and the writer of "Little Boxes" that the suburbs are monotonous landscapes that breed conformity. Along Millersport, there are houses that tend to have a similar look. Perhaps a porch will be moved slightly over, or a window will be added or its size will be changed, but other than that, the houses are the same.

When talking about these "sitcom suburbs" I couldn't help but think of my own house and the houses surrounding it. My parents live in a cul-de-sac development where many of the houses are "Little Boxes." In fact, their house looks just like the house pictured on pg. 98 of Jackson's Landscape in Sight.Ray and Shirley Tinkham would have been so happy in my house.

When walking around my block the evidence of "Little Boxes" is very much seen as well. There are actually three houses in a row that look just like each other. Like the houses on and near Millersport, just the placements of doors and windows and house colors change. On one, they also opt to have a porch.