Suburbia
Moving into a mid 1960s suburban development is a shock to the nervous system for someone not used to it. I live where Ray and Charles Eames’ dream went off the rails. The automobiles and houses are of a piece - all vinyl, aluminum and electroplate. Flatness reigns in facades. But I had never realized the importance of the landscaping to the overall effect of suburbia. Each over-attended and chemically-maintained front lawn and shrubbery amplifies the garishness. An artificial variety of plants and odd ornaments are justaposed together. Some streets, gnomes glare at each other from one lot to the next. And it will take some time to get used to the half and three-quarter size and weight of railings.
Although this has its charms — the neighbourhood is a great place by walk-to-the-strip-mall/playground/school/natural area standards (more on class/colour/ethnicity later, but try to guess) — I still had a visceral reaction of shock and disorientation.
You can learn all about suburbia as an institutionalized design and planning outcome from Dolores Hayden’s book Building Suburbia. But what are the links between suburban construction details and Hollywood stage set design? What is the importance of the automobile which is a ubiquitous part of the decor - not to mention the other forms of internal combustion engine? What happens if my neighbours see this blog?