Overview

This first full-scale history of the development of the American suburb examines how "the good life" in America came to be equated with a home of one''s own surrounded by a grassy yard and located far from the urban workplace.

Analysis and Factors

Integrating social history with economic and architectural analysis, and taking into account such factors as the availability of cheap land, inexpensive building methods, and rapid transportation, Kenneth Jackson chronicles the phenomenal growth of the American suburb from the middle of the 19th century to the present day.

Communities and Comparisons

He treats communities in every section of the U.S. and compares American residential patterns with those of Japan and Europe.

Conclusion and Prediction

In conclusion, Jackson offers a controversial prediction: that the future of residential deconcentration will be very different from its past in both the U.S. and Europe.