It's a Sprawl World After All

I own this book in the electronic format (Adobe Reader and DRM-locked) and finish my reading a couple of months ago. Suburbia is, in my modest opinion, a very good-looking place for a family life and this is why it is appealing for anyone who wants to live in one. Having your own large and greened piece of land with a large house on it is a dream coming true. No other thing symbolizes better the achievement of the American Dream than owning a house in the suburbs. However, I never liked the feeling of loneliness and isolation that places like these offer its inhabitants. While it can provide a comfortable living and a strong sense of ownership, it lacks convenience and community sense. I agree with the author that the effect of these downsides are much more relevant than the good ones. Some people can deal with it, but many people cannot. And for those who cannot, life becomes a struggle and the dream becomes a nightmare. Despite its beauty, suburbs do not promote human interaction due to its large dimensions that makes difficult for people to communicate with each other in a regular and informal way. The lack of such interaction really can make someone to be less tolerate and more aggressive and fearful of somebody else. Human interaction can only be learned if it is commonly practiced. The book does a good job on explaining briefly the origin of the suburbs, why it has grown so fast, why it is still so popular and, with more details, what the consequences of living in such places are. After reading the book, it is perfectly possible to recognize that well-being and life in the suburbs aren't things that are necessarily connected to each other, although this is what your next door real estate developer says to a prospective buyer...

When I read this book, I found it very interesting and informative. I was interested to learn about how and why sprawl came about in the first place, as well as how it has affected people's lives and our society generally, and the solutions to it. I really like books that offer solutions to major problems and/or better alternatives to the status quo! It is interesting that sprawl is a major contributor to the high crime rate in the U.S.! According to this book's author, suburban sprawl and crime are worse in the U.S. than in Canada. I live in Canada, and if sprawl and crime are not as bad in Canada as they are in the U.S., even in Canada, both of those things are bad enough!

In his book geared at helping the everyday person understand the alienation and environmental/physical dangers of urban sprawl, Doug Morris also extends his prescriptive understanding, allowing the reader to grasp how he/she might help reduce the negative affects and correct this phenomena through individual and community efforts toward recreating community through smart urban design. As an anthropologist can objectively observe other cultures, Morris can reflect on his personal experiences of growing up in Europe and other places abroad where urban spaces are designed to embrace and foster community spirit, and help us understand how sprawl is both unique and destructive to the U.S. I highly recommend this book. Dena Hawes

Suburbia has changed from an American dream into a nightmare of violence: Douglas E. Morris 's IT'S A SPRAWL WORLD AFTER ALL is the first book to consider why, drawing some important connections between sprawl and violence. The lack of connections between people living in small areas has left suburban residents isolated, alienated and afraid of strangers. Sprawl involves more cars, more malls, and more in-home interaction replacing social events and community feel, and has evolved a culture of violence in turn. Examples provide case histories outside the country where sprawl problems have been changed.

Are you increasingly shocked by people's impolite behavior? Do you ever feel unsafe walking alone, even in your own neighborhood? If so, this book is for you. Morris shows how sprawl has reduced our overall quality of life and turned neighbors into strangers. Most importantly, he offers practical suggestions on how readers can create meaningful, fulfilling connections in their communities -- regardless of where they live. Read it and reap the benefits. - Sam Horn, author of Tongue Fu! and Take the Bully by the Horns