Blog Exercise Eight….
After World War II the United States government made a massive investment in infrastructure through providing cheap government mortgages to increase the amount of home owners. The government encouraged homeownership in efforts to prevent communism and socialist ideologies in America. The The government encouraged homeownership not only through subsidized infrastructure, but also through spreading and promoting the idea of the American Dream. The American Dream not only included a dream for a single family home at a cheap price, but also a dream to have everything that goes in it. Since the affordability of homes went up, more people had disposable income to spend on stuff to fill their homes. The increase in spending led to an economic boom with an explosion of retail, entertainment, other various customer services. The American Dream instigated the need to move away from the city to have a private property and private green space, which is not common in the city. In order to move out of the city America prioritized the need for cars and highways, seeing cars as an American’s way to freedom, while public transport becomes nonviable economically. However, freedom for every family of every blue-collar worker through car access came at a price. The convenience of the car led to roads designed wide enough for cars travelling 50 miles an hour with parallel parking. Subdivisions were designed to drive home and drive-out of, but not for social interaction. Historically sidewalks were not requires which meant there was no place safe to walk. Without walking, obesity rates shot up. The car-friendly design of subdivisions proved dangerous for children living and playing next to the streets and led to kids being killed by cars. And with the invention of 24 hour news filled with child abductions, these things caused a culture of fear to break out. Isolation was their solution through a combination privacy fencing, solely scheduled interaction of kids, prohibition of children bicycling, gated communities and cul-de-sacs. All that privacy and isolation only caused the source of the problems to go from external forces to forces from inside the home. Isolated kids became dangerous themselves through prescription drug use and drug dealing, stealing, and vandalism. Without social capital in the community people do not feel responsible to stop the crime that goes on outside their doors, and if it starts to bother them they just leave. But the damage was not bound to the suburbs. The desire and ability to obtain the American Dream resulted in what is known as the Urban Flight. Those who could leave the city and those who could not paid dearly for their inability. People with money moved out of the cities and their money left with them leading to an industrial decline inside the city. The city became an urban donut, unable to revitalize itself. Meanwhile, tax payers’ money goes to paying for road, electricity, and sewer/water main construction to increase people’s ability to sprawl since the cost per person sky rockets. Tax rates also go up because property costs are lower. The subsidized infrastructure desired by the people living in low density environments was being paid for by people living in denser environments. The people living in denser environments cannot afford to pay the extreme taxes for building the roads let alone the maintenance of them. The unforeseen issue with the expansion of highways is that the more highways built, the more traffic congestion. Transportation costs also increase due to the longer commute time. The commute time has an inverse effect on the work productivity and family time. Increased commuting time is also an environmental hazard as it massive amount of pollution.
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