| Several categories of suburbs were identified from a review of the literature: industrial, affluent (including borderland and railroad), streetcar, merchant builder and sprawl. When these suburb categories were sorted by the time period in which they were built and by housing cost, it appeared that a suburb type which had developed in the mid-20th century at moderate cost had been overlooked.; To better understand the characteristics of this kind of suburb, it was logical to take a close-up look at one such suburban neighborhood—the Chain-O-Hill neighborhood in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. A case study considered its morphology, demographics and development history. A survey of the vernacular architecture was used to confirm both the middle class status as well as the growth of this neighborhood over the time period from the 1920s through the post-WW II period.; Unlike more affluent suburbanites who have the resources and expertise to become connected and involved in local politics, the lack of local political involvement in the Chain-O-Hill case due to both (1) “upwardly mobile” middle class behavior and (2) its identification as a “place” within a larger local governing jurisdiction left the neighborhood vulnerable to the workings of the local growth machine. Flooding became a serious problem after an “edge city” was developed in the local stream's headwaters; the neighborhood school and the community library were closed to save tax dollars.; Although New Urbanists purport to plan for a diversity of population, the Neo Traditional projects that have actually been built provide housing that is middle class. The participation of the residents of Neo Traditional places in local politics is further complicated by the issue of place identification when they are neighborhood “places” within a larger jurisdiction, like the Chain-O-Hill neighborhood is part of Woodbridge Township.; If we are to successfully implement Smart Growth with planning schemes such as New Urbanism, we need to look carefully, not just at the physical plan of suburbs, but to also take into account social, economic and political factors which determine the long term sustainability of various suburban forms. |
