Better Suburbs

Better Suburbs

Urbanization is a key feature of the twenty-first century. For several decades urban designers have been building comprehensively planned neighborhoods, towns, and villages, designed to deal with the social, ecological, technological, and aesthetic challenges of urban growth. This project examines this work, classifying designed communities built from the end of World War II through the early twenty-first century, with an emphasis on communities in the United States. Such planned developments include: social neighborhoods, architectural villages, environments supporting diversity, designed enclaves, low-density ecoburbs, higher-density ecocities, and developments emphasizing the role of technology. It then draws out implications for the future design of suburbs.

This project was done in collaboration between the Ann Forsyth, DFH, and Katherine Crewe from Arizona State University.

Publications

Forthcoming, A. Forsyth and K. Crewe. Finding Common Ground in the Metropolis: Planned Residential Enclaves as Connection or Exclusion? Journal of Architectural and Planning Research.

2011     K. Crewe and A. Forsyth. Compactness and Connection in Environmental Design: Insights from Ecoburbs and Ecocities for Design with Nature. Environment and Planning B 38, 2: 267-288.

2010     A. Forsyth and K. Crewe. Suburban Technopoles as Places: The International Campus-Garden-Suburb Style. Urban Design International 15, 3: 165-182.

2009     A. Forsyth and K. Crewe. New Visions for Suburbia: Reassessing Aesthetics and Place-making in Modernism, Imageability, and New Urbanism. Journal of Urban Design 14, 4: 415-438.

2009     A. Forsyth and K. Crewe. A Typology of Comprehensive Designed Communities Since the Second World War. Landscape Journal 28, 1: 56-78.

2007     A. Forsyth and K. Crewe. Across the Board, Master Planned Communities Come in all Shapes and Sizes. Planning 73, 7: 10-15.

Back to Other Work on Health by the Design for Health Team