Political ecology of suburbia: limits and challenges of the American land use planning

Abstract

The land use planning conception, defines pretty much a society’s performance, above all in terms of energy and material flow. In a time when access to cheap fossil fuels deteriorates and when the phenomena of global warming is becoming deeper, an assessment on how modern societies have been territorially designed and built, is considered useful. This is particularly true for the case of United States, certainly the most wasteful society of the planet. Thus, this paper begins with an evaluation of the current energy-environmental condition in order to proceed to historically review the case of Suburbia; the contemporary spatial-territorial construction scheme of United States that has had its foundations on an increasing advancement of the car culture and the building of streets and highways. Suburbia’s social and environmental implications, among others, are reviewed. The paper concludes with an appraisal of alternatives and challenges.