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"Rather, Cold War–era urban design philosophy in the U.S. prioritized sprawl because older cities that had urbanized pre–World War II—New York, Chicago, Philade
by blakesterz 6y ago
"Rather, Cold War–era urban design philosophy in the U.S. prioritized sprawl because older cities that had urbanized pre–World War II—New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit—were seen as being susceptible to nuclear strikes. Less-dense cities such as Los Angeles and Houston were less likely to be targeted for a nuclear attack. Sprawl was a deterrent against Soviet aggression."
That's the first time I've heard that. Interesting, if true.
- sithadmin 6y agoI'm not sure I buy it; it sounds like a 'just-so' story. Sprawl is popular because it allows for larger properties at lower prices relative to dense urban development. The vast majority of real estate developers have likely never seriously considered factors like probability of a nuclear strike as a criteria for selecting land for development.
- vidanay 6y agoI don't buy it at all. Population centers are secondary targets after military targets. Besides, the USSR and USA had (have) enough nukes that a spread out city is irrelevant.
- tikhonj 6y agoI'm not sure whether the story is true, but it's worth noticing that developers are not the only drivers here—changes zoning laws and federal funding both played a major role, and it seems plausible for the government to take nuclear strikes into account when charting a high-level policy for the country as a whole.
- Const-me 6y agoThey considered transportation infrastructure. See National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Aid_Highway_Act_of_1956 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Aid_Highway_Act_of_195... They also considered jobs availability. I wasn’t able to find good enough sources on the policies of the era, but many articles on the Internets say the sprawl of industries was caused in part by federal policies: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44250919 https://www.jstor.org/stable/44250919
- ghaff 6y agoThat's true although the history I've read suggests that Eisenhower wanted to do the Interstate Highway system anyway and framing it as being at least partly about defense made it easier to get the funding approved.
- ashtonkem 6y agoThe timing doesn’t really work out either. Automobile suburbs, the beginning of what we’d call sprawl, started in the early 1920s, and really picked up speed in the 1940s and 1950s in Detroit. Detroit really hurts the narrative of nuclear strike resistance, as it’s buried pretty deep inside US air space; it wouldn’t be until the proliferation of ICBMs that Detroit would face significant nuclear strike risk. If sprawl provides any protection against nuclear weapons (which I doubt), then that is clearly a post-hoc rationalization.
- guyzero 6y agoI'm sure someone discussed it once, but Pentagon war planners don't set urban planning policy. People like single family homes, people like yards, people want racist neighbourhood segregation, people really hated urban centers for a long time in the US. All much better explanations.
- jandrese 6y agoAlso people wanted to start building equity in their home and you largely can't do that in the city because all available properties are rentals.
- jschwartzi 6y agoThe notion of equity as an investment or savings is a pretty modern invention alongside the 30 year mortgage.
- jandrese 6y agoWhat? Passing down property has been the primary form of inter-generational wealth transfer since antiquity. But the bigger issue is that you can't live inside of a 401k. Since housing is a requirement you might as well build wealth while you live in it. Assuming no massive disparity in monthly payments it doesn't make much sense to rent.
- swasheck 6y agoI’ve also read that it was the byproduct of post war migration of whites who wanted access to the city but were afraid of the concentration of black people who resided in the city interior. (Stamped from the Beginning by Ibrim X Kendi)
- heymijo 6y agoNo discussion of sprawl is complete without talking about Robert Moses. American highways, and highways around the world sprawl as they do because of Robert Moses. Throughout Robert Cairo's 1344 page biography of Moses, the reader sees how Moses' racism and clasism impacted the massive influence he had on transportation and sprawl in America. +1 for Stamped. In addition, Redlining is a well researched and documented practice in America [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redlining#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redlining#History
- ashtonkem 6y agoRobert Moses designed public amenities to be inaccessible to public transit specifically to exclude poor residents from reaching them. He went as far as designing some bridges to be impassable to buses, so that only those who could afford a personal automobile could reach the amenities on the other side of said bridge.
- throwaway0a5e 6y agoVilifying Moses is a great way to earn some virtue points and pat yourself on the back for being enlightened but the fact of the matter is that he gave the people what they wanted. While the implementations have changed a great many of the underlying desires that motivated his ideas as still alive and well today. Laying the blame all on one person or a few people is an easy out. Designing things to keep out people of certain classes is still alive and well today and we should remain vigilant.
- gpderetta 6y ago> the fact of the matter is that he gave the people what they wanted. I know nothing about Moses, but if the accusations are true, the above would not absolve it in any way.
- flexie 6y agoThis article just shows American exceptionalism in it's true form: Whenever Americans are confronted by foreigners with the fact that they under perform or do less well in some area, they find some good excuse why they are actually not under performing. The sprawl is not just a side effect of car culture, or zoning laws, or whites not wanting to live next to colored people, or the land being cheaper far from city centers. No, it was actually a feature designed to prevent a nuclear attack.
- pkulak 6y agoThat sounds like a new "lost cause" myth to explain white flight.