I’m loving my new book, “Suburban Nation”. Absolutely loving it. I read a mind-blowing chapter yesterday in which the authors, with uncanny precision, name the ways in which various populations suffer in and because of suburbia.
Those who suffer?
The elderly (can’t drive anymore and, therefore, can’t function in suburbia)
Children (can’t drive yet and therefore, can’t function in suburbia beyond playing video games and visiting neighbor’s home)
Teenagers (can drive, just barely and not safely, but Mom needs them to drive because she can’t chaffeur all the time)
Mom (who trades in her professional talents for hours spent in a too-quiet neighborhood and too many hours in the car–driving children to activities, picking up groceries, etc)
Commuters (who give up the two extra hours the eight-hour work day offers, hours they might spend pursuing a hobby or with their families but must instead spend in traffic)
The poor (who can’t afford cars, but who must have a way to get to work)
Anyway, their analysis of the problems caused by suburban sprawl is insightful, and I encourage you to read the book. My point in this blog post, however, is to list what I see as the three living arrangements that eschew suburbia, namely:
I. Traditional Neighborhood in a Big City
II. Small Town with a Traditional Configuration
III. Rural Community/County
I will analyze the benefits and burdens of each community in subsequent posts.
Good subject…albeit complex!
I have lived in both big city and suburbia, and I think that there are benefits to both. I love the city because of the proximity to nearly everything…but not EVERYTHING. My job was a mere 15 minute drive away when there was no traffic (i.e. at 11pm!) but when commuting to and from work at the usual rush hours, it would often be a 45 minute drive because there were SO many people in a densely populated area commuting the same direction.. There was public transportation but that increased the commute time to 1.5 hours each way. So…it’s tough. I now live in suburbia and my commute (to a different company) is 30 minutes each way. Even that relatively short amount of time is frustrating because it’s time I culd be spendinmg with family, doing something healthy like working out, or other productive activities. My dream would be to be able to WALK to work but considering all of the various companies and types industries out there, I don’t think that there is much chance of that happening- there’s just not enough room! 
It’s a bummer.
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I’m looking forward to your treatment of this topic. I am about 60 days from moving to a small traditional southern town(!!).