January 30, 2006
New Suburbanism?
There is an interesting article in the L.A. Times on recent trends in the development and redevelopment of suburban communities in the Los Angeles area. In the article, special emphasis is given to historic preservation and its place in creating viable, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly downtown areas such as Old Town Pasadena and downtown Fullerton.
For someone like me who is familiar with the history of suburbanization - Bunker Hill to Angelino Heights to Hollywood to the San Fernando Valley to Thousand Oaks - this article brings to mind some interesting questions. Is this the new direction of the American suburb? How is it similar to past ideas and efforts to create the ideal community? And how will such development trends affect the revival of Downtown Los Angeles?
"The trend starts here. Southern California is the test lab for a new kind of suburb where homes front parks and residents shop on foot..."
Back to the 'burbsRead the entire article online at LATimes.com
The suburbs, long derided as cultural wastelands, are experiencing a renaissance. And buyers are drawn to them like dieters to a scoop of Cherry Garcia.No longer just sprawling residential tracts fanning out from nominal downtowns, the reinvented suburbs of Pasadena, Fullerton, San Fernando, Burbank and Irvine — to name a few — are pedestrian-friendly villages featuring vintage architecture mixed with new designs, mom-and-pop stores next to national chains, plus jobs a lot closer to home. They have museums, theaters, art galleries, concert halls and restaurants.
"New suburbanism," as it's called, is putting vitality back into suburbia.
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