I recently found an interesting article at breitbart.com detailing the continual rise of american style suburbs overseas. The marketability of America overseas is nothing new, especially in countries such as China, yet since the recession in the 90′s, development of entire American-style suburbs has increased internationally. In fact, in a 2006 survey of American Institute of Architects members, the number of billings for international locations has doubled in just four years. Today, you will find suburbs with names such as Orange County in Asia, Latin America, Africa and even Eastern Europe. Perhaps the most interesting quote in the whole article is the one from University of Michighan professor Robert Fishman who is quoted as saying that “it’s too bad that we as Americans are turning away from suburban sprawl as Asia adopts it.” And I was always under the assumption the it was probably for the best that America turns away from the sprawl of our suburbs. Click here to read the article in it’s entirenty.
On Street Level: Random Thoughts on our Urban World
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China is particularly ‘addicted’ to single-detached style of living. When I lived there, I flew into Chengdu on a very uncharacteristically clear day, and was able to peer down at the urban patterns below. Staring right back up an me were numerous ‘pods’ of curvilinear streets and monster homes. Clearly, these did not represent the dominant shape, but there were quite a few of these low-density suburban developments nonetheless.
It is a highly sought after lifestyle that began largely by the creation of such communiteis for expat dwellers in the 80′s and 90′s. There is A LOT of liquid money floating around in the P.R.C. (even now) and there are surprisingly high numbers of people are are able to afford such options.
Built on greenfields, you’ll find these extremely exclusive estates in almost every major Chinese city. This combines with the heavily subsidized, heavily marketed and sexed-up car industry to create the North American dream with Chinese characteristics. It is exactly the same there, as it is here – this is what people want and what they aspire to get.
http://www.ekistics.ca/projects_tp_vf.htm – Vancouver Forest, an example of what Canadian planners have been up to in Big Red.
Great blog by the way – keep of the scribbling!
- B