A Remedy For Rootlessness Of Modern Suburban Life

According to Karl Zinsmeister of The American Enterprise, he said that “suburbia is actually a fairly radical social experiment…the disappearance of family time, the weakening of generational skills…the anonymity of community life, the rise of radical feminism, the decline of civic action, the tyrannical dominance of TV and pop culture over leisure time” (Silverman and Rader 225).

I think this comment about the suburban lifestyle is  a  harsh description of the life in the  suburban area. Also, the author made false generalizations that were based on his own opinions and observations which are considered forms of discrimination, exaggeration and stereotype. These illustrations about the suburb and its residents were probably derived from a few people’s point of view.

Kenneth Frampton, an architecture professor at Columbia University, said that “What’s upsetting is that the imagery of urbanism is so retrograde” ( Silverman and Rader 227).

In this statement by Frampton, I agree by what he said that the style of urbanism is simply a revival of past architectural designs. In addition, the new look of urbanism is merely a reintroduction of an old style with only a few modifications.

More so, it contradicts the essence of urbanism which is supposed to denote freshness or innovation and not renewal or rebirth of a previous architectural style.

Meanwhile,Alex Krieger, professor of urban design at Harvard University, have said commented on urban development and said that, “It’s a decorative gate but it evokes the same associations as the real gate. It’s a subtle for of ‘Keep Out’” ( Silverman and Rader 228).

Urbanism is intended to be availed by common residents of a suburban area. However, due to some developments by private organizations, urban towns or neighborhoods have become exclusive areas which ironically only caters to the preferences of only the privileged.

Works Cited

Silverman, Jonathan and Rader, Dean. The World is a Text: The Writing, Reading, and    Thinking About Culture and Its Contexts (2nd Edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall,         2005.