How did the American Dream Result in Urban Sprawl?

Where has the American Dream Taken Us?

The root of our American values lie in the heart of suburban middle class communities. The suburban lifestyle has become so incorporated into the ideal American way of life that urban sprawl has become widespread. No matter what class we identify as, we all admire the middle class. Working-class families strive to one day move to the suburbs, and the upper class elites praise the middle class for their political and economic input. The lifestyle of the middle class consists of the tangible qualities of contemporary life, so common to westernized civilizations: a single family home, a personal vehicle, and privacy. As Americans, we consciously chose to permit leapfrog growth of suburban cities because they align with our American dream values. Not only have we become content with suburbanization but so have city planners who lazily duplicate blueprints of cities to replicate. Although many people feel entitled to owning a home away from work and crowded city streets, they are willingly contributing to urban sprawl. The term urban sprawl addresses the continuous expansion of populations away from metropolitan cites to suburbanized areas. In other words, it is the phrase that highlights the consequences of the “American dream” lifestyle; the consequences that many US residents chose not to validate. This stubborn mentality of Americans and city planners has landed the country into a path of destruction. Urban sprawl has proven to be an insufficient use of land that has damaging effects on a growing list of problems.

How the Dream Resulted in Urban Sprawl

As America industrialized and progressed, so did our standard of living. In the early twentieth century the first suburbs began to develop. They were originally advertised as a utopian for middle class, white families, looking to become home owners. Commuter rail and mass automobile production freed Americans from having to live near work (Hawley, 1971, p. 348). This newly accessible autonomy captured the public’s interest and resulted in the birth of suburbanization or in critical terms, urban sprawl. In the decades of the 1950s and 1960s the suburbs in the United States increased from 35 million to 84 million residents, with a growth rate of 144% (US Bureau of the Census, 1987). As these new living arrangements became the norm of society, homes began to sprout rapidly, branching off from condensed cities. The alternative to living in the city gave middle class individuals the opportunity to separate themselves from other economic and racial groups. This changed the entire dynamic of the divisions of society that are apparent even today. As the middle class began migrating away from populated cities, politicians followed, seizing the opportunity to galvanize the support of middle class voters. Currently, congressional districts from the suburbs outnumber urban and rural districts combined, solidifying the significance of sprawl to American politics (Galluzzo, 2008, p. 14). With the proliferation of suburban governments eager to stand behind a newly developed city, suburbanization received not only moral but government support. Monotonous development of planners following outdated regulations, along with few developers controlling the market, resulted in a continuous spread of early twentieth century suburban models. Attaining the American dream means losing a sense of individuality and creativity. Suburban life produces a life no different than your neighbor and does not provide an avenue to express unique cultures. The sprawl has continued with little resistance because everyone was content with owning their own home, unaware however, of the possible irreversible effects.

The Effects of Urban Sprawl: Transportation

As new generations begin settling into their so-called ‘private utopias’, they are contributing to the many problems produced from urban sprawl. Moving out of a city and having to commute to work requires a dependence on natural resources to mobilize. The decentralization of populations has proven to be negative in terms of its environmental and social implications. An increase in energy consumption has become necessary to maintain urban sprawl dwellers. Their dependence on automobiles increases the country’s dependence on oil, forcing America to outsource for oil and continue to impede in foreign affairs, while also depleting natural resources. These additional costs to supply oil is compounded with additional infrastructure costs to reach the dispersed suburban cities. Although the feeling of freedom is enticing, we need to recognize our contribution to our environment and reevaluate our essentials as a society. Are these additional costs worth spending on transportation, or could they go to better causes? Our reliance on motor vehicles emits pollutions to the increasingly poor air quality, which adds a significant risk to human health. Cars and trucks account for over one-fifth of the United States' total global warming pollution, which is an alarming statistic proving our unnecessary contribution to global warming (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2014). If that was not enough, obesity has been attributed to Americans’ dependence on motor vehicles. Even car accidents are more common under an urban sprawl society. As we continue to pursue selfish forms of living, we subject ourselves to these perils indefinitely.

The Effects of Urban Sprawl: Land and Community

In other areas, urban sprawl has changed the dynamics of the land. Our need to spread has lead us to impeding into farmland and perforating the natural land. This has raised farmland values, making it more expensive to own a farm. If urban sprawl is not decelerated, American farming will no longer be profitable, forcing the country into dependence on foreign agriculture. Not only has farm land been invaded but also natural habitats and the wildlife that exist within. These processes have substantial and lasting effects on animal habitant communities by altering the amount, composition, and arrangement of vegetation, creating barriers to movement and changing local temperature, food supply, predators, and parasites (Blewett, Marzluff, 2005, p. 679). Smarter developmental planning could counter this invasion, but Americans have not yet reframed their ‘American dream’. Urban sprawl has also divided human subgroups making segregated neighborhoods a commonality, marginalizing poor communities. This puts tens of thousands of America's children on the economic conveyor built to the junk heap of history (Galluzzo, 2008, p. 14). This increased subordination of racial and class groups along with degrading natural environments, highlights the selfish concerns of American citizens who support urban sprawl. Many poor minorities will never have the opportunity to move to a suburb and therefore are underrepresented by politicians who have more power in suburban neighborhoods. Far more resources have gone into building elaborate new communities for the middle class while other minorities suffer with low government funds. The net capital worth of the entire black community in America is zero. As much is owed as is owned. But the net worth of the white community is $9.0 trillion (Galluzzo, 2008, p. 14). This disparity is largely a result of the creation of urban sprawl. As a divided nation we eliminate equal opportunities for the impoverished and further isolate people with differences.

Reframing Our American Dream Beliefs

During the dawn of this nation’s existence, Americans have possessed the Manifest Destiny ideology that this land is our god given right to claim. Fast forward to today and many of us still feel entitled to the use of our land as if there is an unlimited amount of resources to sustain us. Unfortunately this antiquated way of thinking will only lead our nation into a downward spiral towards self-destruction. Our populations have skyrocketed in the last century, which is an alarming statistic that should persuade us to reconsider the so called ‘American dream’ lifestyle. Before urban sprawl’s effects become irreversible, we as a nation need to recognize our limits and reevaluate our standards. By becoming complacent to the present circumstances, Americans’ selfishness and greed will result in several tragedies discussed in the previous sections. Our current capitalistic system and our politicians will not willingly assist in preventing sprawl’s existence, because urban sprawl has become an extremely lucrative industry. Retail and service industries are known to follow their clients to the suburbs, which depend on the highly skilled middle class labor (Dieleman, Wegener, 2004, p. 313). In addition to the political power politicians can gain from working in new urban cities it is therefore the responsibility of the American people to redefine their essential values for the sake of future generations. The gluttonous use of land for personal comfort proves the lack of solidarity amongst this nation. Instead, Americans need to consider the importance of our natural resources, and allocating our government’s funds efficiently can ensure the future of America. Ending the desire to pursue the American dream lifestyle and demanding an alternative to urban sprawl will not only unify us but preserve the longevity of our country.

References

Blewett, C. Marzluff, M. Effects of Urban Sprawl on Snags and the Abundance and Productivity of Cavity-Nesting Birds. The Condor, Vol. 107, No. 3 (Aug., 2005), American Ornithological Society pp. 678-693

Dieleman, F. Wegner, M. Compact City and Urban. Source: Built Environment (1978-), Vol. 30, No. 4, Multifunctional Urban Land Use (2004), pp. 308-323 Published by: Alexandrine Press

Ferro, Shauncy. 2014. Urban Sprawl: Get fat, stay poor, and die in car crashes. Shuttershock

Hawley, A. H. 1971. Urban Society. New York: Ronald . 348 pp.

US Bureau of the Census. 1987. Patterns of metropolitan area and county growth, 1980 to 1987. Curr. Popul. Rep., Ser. p-25, No. 1039. 137 pp.

Union of Concerned Scientist. Science for a healthy plant and a safer world. 2014. Cars Trucks and Air Pollution.