Suburbs a sin to Smart Growthers
STEVEN GREENHUT
Sr. editorial writer and columnist
The Orange County Register
sgreenhut@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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One of the most commonly used arguments is that suburbs breed anomie –
i.e., loneliness and isolation. Because suburbanites have so much
private space and so little public space, we supposedly have little
contact with one another and have not developed complex social skills
like people have developed in the city. That view is opposite of the one
I have experienced. When I lived in Philly and Washington, D.C., I knew
few of my neighbors. Street life was more menacing than cozy, and I kept
to myself and my social circle. I went to museums and such but was not
intimately involved in what one might call community life.
In the suburbs, I know many of my neighbors. Some of this is driven by
my age and the fact that I have kids, but I am deeply involved in
community activities. A new study by Jan Brueckner of the UC Irvine
Economics Department and Ann Largey of the Dublin City University
Business School in Ireland took an empirical look at the issue. They
confirm the points Cox makes.
I talked to Brueckner, who said he didn't know what he would find from
his research. The results? "Social interaction is higher in the suburbs,
contrary to what many people believe." He said suburbanites are more
likely to talk to their neighbors, to have more friends, to be involved
in social clubs. His research didn't explain why that occurs, but he had
some speculations.
For instance, urban dewellers are "bombarded with people all day," so
they tend to withdraw into their personal space. Suburbanites are out
mowing the lawn and working on their houses, which might provide more
oppotunities for chatting with the neighbors, compared to just walking
by someone in an apartment hallway.
cont'd....
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/opinion/columns/article_1377918.php