Awards

• Winner of Winner of the Bancroft Prize and the Francis Parkman Prize.

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 the a home of one's own surrounded by a grassy yard and located far from the urban workplace. 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. He treats communities in every section of the U.S. and compares American residential patterns with those of Japan and Europe. 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."

Full Product Details

9780195049831

Table of Contents

Reviews

A compelling narrative.... Jackson traces the consequences of the predominantly North American process [of suburbanization] through three centuries of technological, economic and social innovation. --Philadelphia Inquirer<br>

<br> A compelling narrative.... Jackson traces the consequences of the predominantly North American process [of suburbanization] through three centuries of technological, economic and social innovation. --Philadelphia Inquirer<p><br>

"""A compelling narrative.... Jackson traces the consequences of the predominantly North American process [of suburbanization] through three centuries of technological, economic and social innovation.""--Philadelphia Inquirer ""During the days following the Rodney King riot, this study provides essential analysis of the historic roots for the racial divide between the black city and the white suburbs.""--T.C. DeLaney, Washinton and Lee University ""Popular with my students. As many readers know, Jackson's book is well-written and engrossing which makes it a useful choice for an introductory course (required) with a less than enthusiastic audience.""--Sullivan L. Huntoon, Indiana University ""A delightful book that sheds light on American history and society from unexpected vantage points. Very stimulating.""--Clifford H. Scott, Indiana University ""Beautifully written and organized; a mine of insights on a broad range of urban and suburban problems.""--Stanley B. Winters, New Jersy Institute of Technology ""Excellent for advanced undergraduates not only in urban history, but in American social history, too.""--Louis Kyriakoudes, University of North Carolina-Wilmington ""The best study in American urban development to appear in the last few years. This work will long remain one of the most important in its field.""--Pacific Historical Review ""The most important book on the history of American suburbs to appear since the publication of Sam Bass Warner's Streetcar Suburbs in 1962.""--American Historical Review ""An excellent work. Clear, well-presented and very readable.""--Joseph M. Hawes, Memphis State University ""A model history.""--American Studies International ""A superb achievement that will set the standard for American social and urban history for a long time to come.""--Roger W. Lotchin, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill ""Simply the best book on the subject. A 'tour de force.'""--D. Booth, University of Massachusetts ""A lucid and in-depth study of one of the most significant developments in the post-World War II era, the suburbs. A much-needed account, Crabgrass Frontier examines the transformation of the suburbs from haunt of the social pariah to haven for the yuppie.""--A.J. Scopino, Jr., Central Connecticut State University ""The first really comprehensive and satisfactory history of suburbanization to have appeared.""--The Public Historian ""Jackson, who coined the term 'crabgrass frontier' in 1973 to describe suburbanization, has written the first comprehensive, scholarly history of this peculiarly American phenomenon.""--Journal of Interdisciplinary History ""A history of authoritative scope.... Among the many interpretations, attacks, sociological reviews and other accounts of suburbia's spread since 1945, Mr. Jackson's stands out as the most comprehensive.""--Grady Clay, The New York Times Book Review ""Providing the first comprehensive treatment of the suburban process, Jackson places the movement in both a historical and an international context.... A milestone for both urban and American history.""--New England Quarterly ""This is the definitive work on a topic of great importance.""--Reviews in American History ""One could hardly ask for more on the American phenomenon of suburbanization than this book offers.""--Myron A. Marty, St. Louis Post-Dispatch ""Jackson's critique should be heard by all who care about the future of urban America.""--J. Anthony Lukas, The New Republic ""Brilliant and incisive.... Its premise is deeply humanistic without over-simplifying forces.""--Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times ""A model history with fascinating detail on America's various urban patterns.""--American Studies International ""Excellent.""--Robert E. Smith, Missouri Southern State College ""A compelling narrative.... Jackson traces the consequences of the predominantly North American process [of suburbanization] through three centuries of technological, economic and social innovation.""--Philadelphia Inquirer ""A wide-ranging, sensitive look at the whole of U.S. development in the past century and at the linkages with thechnology, enterprise, and public policy.""--Stanley B. Winters, New Jersey Institute of Technology"

A clear, thorough, carefully documented history of how and why America became a country of suburbs rather than cities and towns. The United States has thus far been unique in four important respects that can be summed up in the following sentence: affluent and middle-class Americans live in suburban areas that are further from their work places, in homes that they own, and in the center of yards that by urban standards elsewhere are enormous. Citing Brooklyn Heights in the 1830s as the first true American suburb, Jackson traces the influences that shaped America's domestic land use style. These influences fit into three categories: economic, political and philosophical. The underlying economic factor is the high per capita wealth that has allowed Americans to realize their domestic ideal of the detached house. Inexpensive land and balloon-frame house construction combined to bring the price of suburban housing within the reach of most Americans, and inexpensive transportation made commuting between work and home possible. The political system built roads, financed sewer construction, offered mortgages, and structured the tax system so that there were (and are) clear economic incentives to purchase a home. Jackson suggests that the philosophical influences are so strong and so much a part of the weave of American society, that the move to the suburbs was the result of the development of new cultural values. Historically, Americans seemed to have a distrust of urban life and a strong belief that a detached house in a safe quiet and peaceful place was the basis of a good, moral life and strong family. However, he predicts the growth of suburbs will be arrested because of the rise in transportation and energy Costs. But he disagrees with those who predict their disappearance: the American suburb is a remarkable and probably lasting achievement. In his introduction, Jackson makes two related statements: Through-out history, the treatment and arrangement of shelter have revealed more about a particular people than any other products of the creative arts. And, living patterns condition our behavior. Although Jackson provides a comprehensive explanation of how and why the social geography of America developed, he does not tell us who we are as a result. One waits in vain for Jackson to explain how our uniquely American style of living has shaped us. (Kirkus Reviews)

Author Information

Kenneth T. Jackson, Professor of History at Columbia University, is the author of The Ku Klux Klan in the City, 1915-1930; Cities in American History; and a number of other books.

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