Rocking the Suburbs: Suburban Renewal

Abstract

Many Americans prefer to live in the suburbs with their own house and yard. However, the inner suburbs are aging and deteriorating, effectively pushing those who wish to live in the suburbs further and further out from the metropolitan centers, which is not sustainable. This pattern provides an opportunity to rethink the existing inner suburb and single-family residence so that it might become more attractive and competitive compared to new suburban development.

The chosen location is the neighborhood of Harundale, which is a typical American suburb --a placeless development that could be located outside of any American city. Therefore, experimentation in this location is potentially applicable across the country. Developed in the late 1950's, Harundale houses hold historical value as mass-produced postwar design and construction, while the Harundale mall was the first enclosed air-conditioned mall east of the Mississippi River. This was once the "happening place to be", but over time the area has declined. This thesis proposes the use of existing infrastructure as a springboard for rethinking the function and image of the suburbs.