"Houses For Cars"

One of the major differences between new suburban housing and their older counterparts is the presence and position of the garage. Almost all new housing structures feature front-loading garages, most with space for two vehicles, but many holding three or more. These “homes for cars” often comprise about a third of the entire façade surfaces of the houses that contain them. This was not always the case. Most older houses either contain a single-car garage on the front façade, a single- or double-car garage off to the side or back of the lot facing an alley or facing the street but set back from the facade, or no garage at all. These design strategies served several purposes: 1) presenting the home, not the garage, as the main focal point; 2) pushing the footprint of the home closer to the street for neighborhood surveillance purposes; and 3) to relegate automobiles to their place as simply one form of getting around.

Take a look at this short video of a Bethlehem neighborhood that epitomizes traditional neighborhood design.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI9OAtqSLaI&feature=player_profilepage

Since I have very little access to suburban-type housing in Bethlehem due to my lack of wheels, I’d like to challenge you to post a video or image of your suburban neighborhood so that we can all visually compare the two. Let’s get out and learn something about our neighborhoods, folks!