|
|
) |
| Fine Living |
| To print this page, select File then Print from your browser |
| URL: http://www.fineliving.com/fine/deconstructed/episode/0,1663,FINE_4137_13481,00.html |
Deconstructed > episode FLDEC-110
Today's homeowners want more rooms and larger living spaces and suburbia is still the place to go.
Today's Homeowner Wants:
- 3-Car garages.
- Separate bedrooms for all family members.
- Larger kitchens.
- More luxurious bathrooms.
- Home offices
One of the first major suburban catalysts of the 20th Century, aside from the population boom, the automobile and the invention of air conditioning, was the end of World War II. The G.I. Bill of Rights enabled soldiers returning from the war to buy a home with little or no money down.
Suburbs are Possible Because of:
- Core growth.
- Undeveloped land outside the city limits.
- Fast and efficient transportation.
Commuting Facts:
- New roads reach 90% of their capacity within 5 years.
- The average commute times are:
- 21 minutes by car.
- 38 minutes by bus.
- 45 minutes by train.
- 21 minutes by car.
- Carpooling is an obvious solution but unfortunately only:
- 20% of drivers make one stop between 6 and 9a.m.
- 30% of drivers stop once between 4 and 7p.m.
- 20% of drivers make one stop between 6 and 9a.m.
- In the U.S., 1 in 20 people have a commute that lasts an hour, or more.
- In Tokyo, 1 in 2 people have a commute that lasts an hour, or more.
Resources:
Crabgrass Frontier
by Kenneth T. Jackson
The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community
by Peter Katz & Vincent Scully Jr.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
by Eric Hodgins