Perforated encroachment: a critical re-imagining of subdivision neighbourhoods in the desert landscape of Apache Junction, Arizona

Abstract

The suburbs have been developed to operate as machines of mass-production and ‘functionalism’ through the division of zones, uniform tracts of housing, and isolated office parks and strip malls. This system separates us from one another, from amenities and from landscape within detached zones of residential areas. We must drive to box stores for groceries, serving thousands of people from different areas. We must drive long distances and sit in traffic to get to work. We do not know our neighbours, we value privacy over human connection and without the proper civic framework, we lack a sense of community. This system that glorifies the usage of the automobile has left us divided. The urban form of the past provided the potential for collective action and for connections among people of different economic and social classes. 1 Many people are unaware of the radical shift that took place from the generations of strong urban planning that came before World War II, because the cities and suburbs of today are all that we have known. 2 With the onset of climate change, the numerous social revolutions and shifts in our demographics and new technology, we must rethink not only how we develop our neighbourhoods, but how we live. Today’s renters and home buyers primarily choose between living within the city or in the suburbs. Both options have not been congruent with our economic, social, and environmental needs for some time. Suburban sprawl, however, carries a more damaging effect due to the amount of carbon emitted from daily travel. An alternative form of suburban development is necessary to combat the effects of climate change and respond to the needs of our evolved society