Earlier residential suburbs were often built around commuter railroad stations in the late nineteenth century. But post- WWII, suburbs witnessed unprecedented growth. New suburban communities were built outside of major cities due to the housing crunch created by returning soldiers. Large numbers of these soldiers married, had children, and sought affordable housing. Because of the G.I. Bill, many veterans could now access low-interest loans to purchase homes and attend college.
Race also influenced the development of suburbs. Several white Americans wanted to move away from communities in the south that had become integrated because of African American work in war industries.
Developers also facilitated the growth of suburbia. William Levitt, for example renovated land outside of cities to create large developments of identical looking houses. These houses were mass produced, quickly and cheaply.
The expansion of Federal and local highways also attracted Americans to suburbs. Following the Interstate Highway Act, people could now access cities easily from the suburbs. The interstate highways system also promoted defense measures, allowing Americans to safely leave their communities to go to the city.
Despite all these developments that lead to the growth of suburbia, it should be noted that not Americans shared prosperity to do so. As upper-middle class and middle class families left the cities, they also took with them the ability to pay taxes for the city. The tax bases of cities shrunk dramatically and meant that cities could not allocate as much money to public education or even policing. Crime became prevalent and school systems failed. This made suburbs even more attractive to middle- class families.
Sources:
http://www.ushistory.org/us/53b.asp
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