Turning night into day: transgression and Americanization at the English inter-war roadhouse

In the inter-war Home Counties, the roadhouse, a sizeable country club style location of entertainment and dancing was an iconic destination of consumption and leisure aimed at the wealthier middle classes. These establishments were marketed in newsreels as exclusive and sophisticated but in reality were open to wider groups in a settings that offered anonymity by virtue of their suburban locations. Reflecting this, roadhouses were also used in literature and in cinema as a locus of transgression and danger. Readings of suburbia have concentrated on static analyses of house/home and discussions of suburban mobilities have been confined to commuting, thus reinforcing the centrality of the house. A consideration of mobilities facilitated by the motorcar can produce a more subtle view of the suburban world of the period. In this paper the roadhouse is shown to form part of a new suburban landscape responding to the development of the wider availability of the automobile and to London's new arterial roads. The leisure products consumed at the roadhouse were heavily influenced by American cultural exports but were hybridized for local audiences.     

TIEBOUT DYNAMICS: NEIGHBORHOOD RESPONSE TO A CENTRAL‐CITY/SUBURBAN HOUSE‐PRICE DIFFERENTIAL*

ABSTRACT We take advantage of an unusual natural experiment—a high‐quality 1920s subdivision split neatly in half by a central‐city/suburban boundary—to study the response over 30 years to the relative decline in the quality of central‐city services since the 1960s. As expected, a large sale price differential opens in the 1960s. Demographic characteristics are nevertheless similar across the boundary. Survey data indicate Tiebout sorting: the central city side attracts households who prefer alternatives to suburban public schools. Children attend parochial and public “magnet” schools. A neighborhood association supplements municipal services. Rigid service district boundaries inhibit closure of the house‐price differential.     

基于生命历程视角的郊区居民迁居行为重构——以北京回龙观居住区为例

城市居民迁居行为是城市地理学的重要课题,但以微观手法研究郊区居民迁居行为重构尚不多见。本文基于质性研究方法,以位于北京郊区的回龙观居住区为例,以微观的手法对城区拆迁居民、经历体制转型的中老年人、北京本地年轻人以及外地来京年轻人的迁居历程进行解读,寻找经济、社会和制度变革与个体生命历程的交集,进而洞察郊区居民迁居的一般性特征。在此基础上,从迁居机会供给、住房需求、住房获取能力、迁居决策4个方面归纳郊区居民迁居行为重构特征,并从宏观、中观、微观3个层面阐释重构机制。对郊区居民迁居行为重构的研究,有助于理解北京城市空间重构及郊区化进程。     

基于生活空间与活动空间视角的郊区空间研究框架

郊区空间已成为城市空间的重要组成部分,其研究意义逐渐凸显,需要学者立足郊区,关注郊区空间及其与城市空间的关系。本文从行为主义地理学和时间地理学的理论和方法论出发,对行为空间、生活空间、活动空间的概念进行辨析,提出了基于空间范式下的生活空间研究和基于人范式下的活动空间研究两方面研究内容。立足于郊区空间,面向居民日常生活,构建基于时空间行为研究方法论的郊区空间研究框架,基于此框架对郊区生活空间、郊区活动空间以及郊区空间的动态性进行解读和分析,试图为空间-行为互动理论的构建提供研究基础,为基于行为视角的郊区研究提供研究框架,为更好的理解郊区空间、解决郊区中存在的问题提供有效途径。     

The Prairie Style House: Spatial Diffusion of a Minor Design

The spread of the Prairie style house was'investigated in order to exemplify the means of diffusion of minor'designs. This style, developed by Frank Lloyd Wright, spread'beyond suburban Chicago between 1900 and 1917. It is confined'primarily to selected communities of the Midwest in which its low'elongated silhouette reflects the often flat prairie terrain. The'chronological sequence of diffusion of the Prairie style was'compared to the sizes and rates of growth of the places to which it'spread. This sequence did not conform to a hierarchal pattern'because the style failed to gain acceptance among the elite of'Chicago and other large cities. Prairie design was confined'primarily to middle class circles and spread by means of a'fragmentary system of inter-city communication. Third parties'frequently provided the initial means of contact between architects'and their out-of-town clients. The relationship of third parties to the'architects was often in the role of former patrons. Their ties with'out-of-town clients usually resulted from family or business'associations.     

‘The car indispensable’: the hidden influence of the car in inter-war suburban London

Histories of suburban London underplay the importance of the car to inter-war mobilities; an emphasis on public transport has occluded our understanding of the role of motoring in the transformation of suburban life. This is in marked contrast to work on American suburbia that affords the car a prime role in suburban formation. This article uses information from dealer's sales records, motoring magazines and commentary on suburbia to examine the extent to which motoring was adopted by London's wider suburban middle classes in the inter-war years. It concludes that by the end of the 1930s, suburban motoring had highly heterogeneous levels of adoption, but, where it was popular, it changed mobility in a dramatic manner that prefigured wider developments of the late 1950s.     

Women in Suburbia

This research investigates the influence of a suburban lifestyle upon the attitudes of women. Specifically, a sample of suburban women are interviewed and information is ascertained concerning their attitudes toward commercial and social isolation in suburbia. Additionally, demographic data are acquired from the sample in order to describe the sample and compare it to the suburban female population that has previously been researched.     

DIFFERENTIAL SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE PRAGUE URBAN REGION

Numerous authors have asserted that suburbanization contributes to many problems in both suburban and inner city localities. Research of suburban development demonstrates variations in spatial patterns, the intensity of spatial processes, and the social and economic status of new suburbanites. While some forms of suburban development could cause serious problems throughout the urban region, other forms could be perceived as processes improving the quality of life in suburbia. This paper seeks to investigate different types of suburban development in the Prague urban region over the past fifteen years of transformation. The focus of my interest is residential suburbanization, which is one of the most significant spatial processes today in the settlement systems of post‐socialist countries. The theoretical part of the contribution deals with the differentiation of spatial processes changing the suburban zone. Here I discuss the concepts of several processes of suburban development and their distinctive impact on both suburban and inner city localities. The empirical part of the contribution is based on an analysis of migration flows in the various localities of the Prague urban region in the period 1995 to 2003. I attempt to describe the magnitude and spatial patterns of suburbanization and the composition of migrants to suburbia. The paper concludes with a discussion about the possible future development of suburbanization in the Prague urban region.     

The Good Life in Victorian and Edwardian Surbiton: Creating a Suburban Community Before 1914

Abstract

Throughout their recent history suburbs and suburban society have been characterised by a number of writers — including historians — as being dull, detached, monotonous, lacking in community spirit and devoid of cultural activity. The aim of this article is to challenge these negative stereotypes by examining the reality of community life in the classic suburban town of Surbiton before 1914. It sets out a framework within which communities can be defined and analysed and argues that the criteria used to identify working class communities in the past are not necessarily applicable to more middle class suburban communities. The historical evidence for community life and identity in Surbiton before 1914 is provided by the existence of clubs and societies; sporting and leisure activities; participation in cultural events; support networks when necessary; multi-class activities; and enlightened middle class leadership.     

DEFINITION OF THE BOUNDARY OF MOSCOW'S ACTIVE ZONE OF INFLUENCE

The present boundaries of Moscow's suburban zone are tested by delineating a so-called zone of active influence of Moscow city based on demographic structure and the significance of commuting to work in the city. The most favorable age-sex structure, with a high percentage of population in the working age groups and a relatively high percentage of children, is found in a zone within 50 to 60 kilometers from the city limits. This zone generates a daily flow of more than 500,000 commuters to places of employment in Moscow, 90 percent of whom spend less than 110 to 120 minutes traveling each way. These commuters represent about 2 percent of the total working-age population in the suburban zone. On the basis of the demographic structure and commuting linkages, Moscow's zone of active influence is therefore defined as the zone within which 90 percent of the commuters reside, or within 52 kilometers of the city limits. This conforms roughly to the present definition of the suburban zone.     

90年代重庆零售商业离心化研究

本文以重庆市近郊区为研究区域,通过对近郊区与中心区社会商品零售额总量和增长率的比较以及对近郊区零售商业中心的特征分析,发现90年代中期开始出现商业离心化的迹象。商业离心化的出现是宏观环境以及中心区与近郊区推拉力机制共同作用的结果。目前的商业离心化尚处于萌芽阶段,是市场经济下的自觉行为,但不同于计划经济下的均衡分布,离心化发展速度较慢,主要发生在各郊区商业中心,中心区的商业优势仍然很突出。商业离心化势不可挡,近郊中心与中心区的竞争将更加激烈,中心商业区和郊区商业中心应各有侧重地发展     

COTTAGE SETTLEMENTS AND GARDEN COOPERATIVES IN THE MOSCOW AREA

Spaee-time shifts are analyzed for a particular type of suburban recreational, development—the cottage, settlements and garden cooperatives around Moscow. Measurement of the appearance, stabilization and decline of this recreational function along six major rail lines radiating from Moscow shows a centrifugal shift fostefed by the development of high-speed transportation and the conversion of older recreational areas close to the city to residential and industrial uses. A characteristic feature of the expansion of the recreational zone Over time has been a leaping movement in which the centers of recreational development, after having taken shape for one or two decades, will suddenly leap outward to a more distant zone. Furthermore, suburban cities are beginning to generate their own demand for recreational space and are becoming nuclei of their own recreational zones.     

Spatial Mismatch and the Structure of American Metropolitan Areas, 1970–2000

Abstract.  This paper analyzes the impact of employment and population shifts in U.S. metropolitan areas from 1970 to 2000 on a spatial mismatch index to determine how metropolitan residents reacted to changes in metropolitan employment distributions. In particular, it seeks to determine whether suburban employment growth created new areas to which access is valued or whether it repelled metropolitan residents and sparked population growth in more distant suburban locations. The results show that residents tended to move away from areas gaining jobs. Black residents, on the other hand, appeared to be attracted to areas that are experiencing employment growth.     

INVESTMENT RISK AND THE TRANSITION INTO HOMEOWNERSHIP*

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the extent to which house–price uncertainty affects the transition of renter households into homeownership. Using a 14‐year household panel from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics during the years 1984–1997 and measures of the time‐varying risk and return to owner‐occupied housing, we estimate a Cox proportional hazard model of the effect of house–price volatility on the transition into homeownership. Results indicate that house–price uncertainty has a negative and dramatic impact on transitions into homeownership. In addition, we find that the low‐wealth renters are particularly sensitive to house–price risk.     

北京市集贸市场空间分布特征研究

集贸市场在我国已有悠久的历史,但目前对我国集贸市场空间分布的研究还较欠缺。本文在阐述集贸市场概况的基础上,对北京市集贸市场的分布状况进行空间现状分析和变迁比较。文章分两部分进行分析比较,其一是对集贸市场的总体进行分析比较,其二是单独选取成交额超亿元的集贸市场进行分析比较,并对个别集贸市场的区位优势和劣势进行了典型分析。在比较分析的基础上,初步得出北京市集贸市场分布的空间特征。     

郊区新城发展与大城市空间结构调整:松江案例

目前,我国正处在城市化快速推进阶段,为突破既有城市结构对城市发展的束缚,缓解中心城区的人口、就业、交通、环境等压力,优化城市经济结构,许多城市正在积极拓展新的发展空间,大城市地区的新城建设更是如火如荼。上海自早期的卫星城建设开始,到近期的"一城九镇",再到最近的"1966"城镇体系规划建设框架,一直试图通过郊区城镇的建设和发展来疏解中心城区的巨大压力。特别是最近10年,松江作为上海大都市郊区重要城镇的规划建设,对突破上海中心城区"一核独强"的空间结构所产生的影响在新城建设中颇具典型的意义。本文试图通过松江新城"次核"发育、松江新城的城市功能演化、松江新城人居环境建设三个方面的剖析,探讨新城建设与城市空间结构演化的互动关系,以在宏观上更好地认识和把握新城对城市发展的影响,以期对上海或国内其他大都市区郊区其他新城的建设和多中心城市空间格局的形成有所裨益。     

A CITY IN MOTION: TIME-SPACE ACTIVITY AND MOBILITY PATTERNS OF SUBURBAN INHABITANTS AND THE STRUCTURATION OF THE SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE PRAGUE METROPOLITAN AREA

This contribution attempts to reveal the relations between new suburban areas and other parts of the Prague metropolitan area by investigating the time‐space activity and mobility patterns of the inhabitants of newly built suburban districts. The focus on some aspects of the everyday life of people in new suburbs helps us to identify the impact of suburbanization on the changing geography of the metropolitan region and to better understand how the spatial organization of the Prague metropolitan area is produced, reproduced and transformed. We use several interrelated concepts, which serve the theoretical foundation of our work, namely time geography, structuration theory and the post‐communist city. The empirical data utilized are primarily based on 262 diaries completed by eighty‐eight individuals from thirty‐eight households, accompanied by household questionnaires and interviews with the heads of households. The research confirmed the implicit, generally unspoken view that new suburbs in the Prague metropolitan region are heavily dependent on the core of the metropolitan area for the provision of jobs and services. However, newly built suburban shopping facilities to some extent disrupt this pattern, keeping some daily activities of inhabitants within the suburban zone. In addition to empirical observations, the key purpose of this contribution has been to discuss and apply time geography concepts and methods to the research of urban restructuring, and to understand the structuration of metropolitan spatial organization.     

Suburban citizenship? The rise of targeting and the eclipse of social rights in Toronto

The decline of ‘universal’, welfarist forms of social citizenship and the rise of selective or targeted social policy is generally considered to be a recent phenomenon, and a constituent element of neo-liberal citizenship and state forms (Brodie ), or ‘advanced liberal’ technologies of government (Rose ). This paper documents how targeted policies were in fact being defined at the height of Keynesian welfarism, in the newly consolidating post-war suburbs of Toronto. I suggest an alternative account of the genesis of these practices, which sees the spatiality of the post-war metropolis as key. The analysis considers how the mutual consolidation of these social and material spaces, and of hegemonic suburban political practices enabled the articulation of a suburban style of citizenship, which was both intensely familial and entrepreneurial in form. Through a case study in recreation policy in the Toronto region, this paper demonstrates how selective, targeted and residual approaches to service delivery evolved in suburban municipalities in the immediate post-war period, and were only generalized across the city more recently through the restructuring of a municipal amalgamation. It documents how these approaches have relied on radically different assumptions about citizenship that were dependent on the articulation of suburban life, literally built around the private family in private space. Thus this paper also documents ways in which these approaches to social policy, increasingly dominant across a range of policy areas and at a variety of spatial scales, construct gendered and racialized identities and problematize non-nuclear family forms.