Reinventing Where America Lives

For most of the time in post-World War II America, I think a house was a reasonably accurate extension of the identity and character of its homeowners. That began to change for me in the mid-1990s, when my wife would return home with stories about the real estate explosion in the north Atlanta suburbs. It seemed that more and more people were buying huge, expensive homes in new developments along the Chattahoochee River corridor. Nothing wrong with that, with one exception. More than a few of the homes had virtually no furniture. Fast forward a decade and I'll bet those same houses stand empty of people. In other words, the "all hat, no cattle" lifestyle had come head to head with the reality of the financial and housing meltdown. As the decline enters its second year, the ability to purchase a house remains somewhat detached from reality, and the family you see moving in next door may not be what you get. Furthermore, occupancy rates and rental housing continue to mold the identity and character of many neighborhoods. With the Atlanta metro area now ranked as the third emptiest city in the country, you can bet change is the order of the day.

If you're a student of urban historical geography, all of this would make perfect sense, in part, because it would be interpreted perhaps in a less emotional environment. For homeowners, it is interpreted more in terms of property value, personal safety, quality schools, employment opportunity, and culture.

I discovered some "must read" articles on this subject, thanks to Tim Mak's "The Decline of Suburbia," appearing today on the blog, The New Majority. I think two of his sources demand special attention. They are:

Richard Florida's "How the Crash Will Reshape America," from The Atlantic Online; and

Alan Ehrenhalt's "Trading Places," appearing in The New Republic

A commenter provided a link to David Brooks's New York Times opinion column on a recent Pew Research Center study of American preferences for location and lifestyle. In general, I found comments, if available, to be of great interest.

Yes, I'm asking my readers to take on a long assignment here, but is a significant topic with serious social, economic, and political impacts for most Americans. If you get the feeling this subject was one aspect of my training and career, you'd be correct.

Photo by David Shankbone