What is the effect of suburban life on democracy?

City life has traditionally been the crucible of modernity where political movements, ideas and the public sphere could flourish. The United States was the first country in the world to suburbanise. According to Michael J. Thompson this development has had a great influence on democratic life in modern society. In his view the suburbs provide a spatial pattern of social life that erodes the interactive social foundations of everyday life. This leads to an erosion of democratic sensibilities and democratic forms of life. Because one can isolate oneself from the community in the suburbs - something which is more difficult in the city - suburban residents become detached from others.

Life in the suburbs is based on two hierarchical and undemocratic institutions, being the workplace and the family. This has given rise to a 'new provincialism' which is ignorant of other cultures and views. According to Thompson, the erosion of democratic life in the United States has to be viewed by investigating the political and cultural effects of residential and spatial structure. Research has shown that liberal-democratic votes in the United States were cast almost exclusively in urban or heavily metropolitan counties, whereas the rest of the country was largely characterised by republican/conservative votes. Thompson states that as democratic life has begun to erode, the spread of the ideal of the American suburb as a utopia for human life should be seriously questioned.

Suburban life promotes a new culture with potential corrosive effects on democratic life in modern society. Urban life is characterised by interaction, diversity and encounter, while suburban life takes place in relative isolation. Whereas the city has traditionally been focused on the public sphere, the suburbs are largely based on the individual and private property. With their emphasis on the individual and family values, the suburbs give rise to a so-called 'new provincialism'. Because public life and democratic politics are intimately linked with space and the built environment, this suburban culture may lead to an erosion of democratic sensibilities and democratic forms of life. Therefore the author argues the ideal of the American suburb should be critically evaluated.

William Paterson University
Michael J. Thompson (Assistant Professor of Political Science)

/11/2007

Michael J. Thompson

research

Urban Policy > Urban environment > Land use

Suburbanisation