There is a school of thought that says, with some justification, that the American suburb was designed specifically to destroy community ties, for the reason th

There is a school of thought that says, with some justification, that the American suburb was designed specifically to destroy community ties, for the reason that without community ties it is hard to form the kinds of labor organizations that can oppose capital, and also owning your own home, even if it’s really the bank that owns it, makes you more sympathetic to the interests of the property owning class. It certainly is true that the advent of the suburb happened at the same time as the decline of the socialist movement. After all if you’re living cheek to jowl in dickensian conditions you might be inclined to see the boss as your enemy, but if you leave the workplace everyday and head back to your own property in a suburb, where the boss has a house nearby, with your 401k being your retirement plan, then perhaps less so.