The Suburban Idea

Graeme Davidson:

For more than 150 years, Australia was itself a mental suburb of England, taking many of its ideas ready-made from the world’s metropolis, London.

Clever. Suburbanism isn’t necessarily based on location, but a state of mind. I couldn’t agree more. Having grown up near a big city, people often referred to my town as a suburb. It may be one now, but when I was growing up, it didn’t feel suburban. It was very much an independent community.

(Via Samuel Arbesman.)

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