Building Suburbia: Green Fields and Urban Growth, 1820-2000

A lively and provocative history of the contested landscapes where the majority of Americans now live.

From rustic cottages reached by steamboat to big box stores at the exit ramps of eight-lane highways, Dolores Hayden defines seven eras of suburban development since 1820. An urban historian and architect, she portrays housewives and politicians as well as designers and builders making the decisions that have generated America's diverse suburbs. Residents have sought home, nature, and community in suburbia. Developers have cherished different dreams, seeking profit from economies of scale and increased suburban densities, while lobbying local and federal government to reduce the risk of real estate speculation. Encompassing environmental controversies as well as the complexities of race, gender, and class, Hayden's fascinating account will forever alter how we think about the communities we build and inhabit.


About the Author
Dolores Hayden, urban historian and poet, is professor of architecture, urbanism, and American studies at Yale. She is the author of several books on the American landscape, including The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History, Building Suburbia, and A Field Guide to Sprawl. A former president of the Urban History Association, Hayden is the recipient of a Radcliffe Graduate Medal, an American Library Association Notable Book Award, two awards for Excellence in Design Research from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. She is also the author of two poetry collections, American Yard and Nymph, Dun, and Spinner.