The video “Retrofitting Suburbia” by Ellen Dunham-Jones delves on how we have been building the suburbs with unintended consequences. Dunham-Jones talks of ways of making the suburbs better by way of retrofitting. Retrofitting is more of “furnishing” the suburbs through aspects such as redevelopment, re-inhabiting dead big box stores or reconstructing the wetlands out of parking lots.   This would work as a favorable way of improving suburban life compared to the act of tearing down trees with the objective of bringing development projects.

The suburbanites’ lifestyles result to a third of the carbon footprint on average. This is attributed to the fact that suburbanites tend to drive longer distances and also live in detached buildings and hence have more exterior surface to cover. This means that urbanizing the suburbs would work in checking the levels of climate change. Sedentary lifestyles have also resulted in health issues such as increased obesity. The demographics in the suburbs have changed in the past 30 years too. Research has shown that 75-85% of new households will not have children in them by 2025. This is attributed to the fact that 77% of the Gen Y/Millennials desire to live in an urban core while 75% of retiring boomers want mixed-use and mixed-age communities. Redevelopment of suburban would be more enhanced through aspects such as re-inhabitation and reconstruction. Elements that are not working should be replaced with others that would bring more value.

From the experience that I have had with the suburban life, I can tell that there is a difference compared to the big city life. Among the major difference is that people have to deal with long and frustrating commutes. This aspect resonates with Dunham-Jones on how suburban areas contribute to climate change. In suburban areas, there is no hustle for parking too. The lower population density involved makes room for the presence of numerous parking lots compared to big cities. The lifestyle in the suburbs is also quieter and less hectic compared to a major city life that is characterized by nonstop hustle.

Suburban lifestyle also paves the way for privacy and space. This is usually attributed to the fact that suburban areas have less population density compared to major cities. The suburbs also seem to be more “family-friendly” compared to the big cities. This is because most are master-planned communities that have been designed to provide families with favorable amenities.

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