Suburban Beginnings
In the decades that followed, neighborhood development boomed, and the identity of “suburbanite” American moved toward the majority. “Consequently, the postwar exodus to the suburbs was part of a vast reorganization of power and money that affected American industry, race relations, and gender roles. ” The development of the suburbs can largely be contributed to William Levitt, who “revolutionized the way Americans live and ushered in an age of suburbia by providing inexpensive housing outside the city. ” Levitt applied the post-industrial standard of mass production to housing development and established formulaic approach to the construction of homes in the ‘cookie-cutter’ style, building multiple homes following the same floor plan at a rate that reached 36 homes constructed per day within a year of the plan’s implementation .
Many historical accounts will paint a picture of white picket fences, kept lawns, and families who were pioneers, looking to build a better life for themselves and their children:
Throughout this short documentary, which chronicles the reflections of a founding suburb’s first residents, many of which still reside there, the now-elderly people who share their stories are painted as brave forerunners who blazed the trail for a better way of living in America. Suburban development was instrumental during the ‘baby boom,’ in which families reunited with returned veteran WWII soldiers provided a massive increase in births and increased family size . With larger families, homeownership provided necessary space for comfortable living. These neighborhoods seemed to be a shining example of progress and the path to achieving the American Dream, even for minorities, who for some had indeed seen a limited post-war upward mobility in economic status and moving into the middle class . However, not only did the ‘cookie-cutter’ style of American suburbs emphasize a conformity that reinforced restrictive gender roles for women, restrictive covenants barred most African American and Asian American families from living in suburban neighborhoods at all .
The brutal history of segregation and exclusion in the suburbs can be seen in two prominent case studies: The development of Trumbull Park in South Deering, Chicago, and Levittown, of which there were three (New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey).
