day 24: mcmansions in new jersey

Today was shuttle day. First I drove my niece's friend to JFK (and returned), then I drove my niece to camp in Southern New Jersey (and returned). I spent about 10 hours total in the rental car shuttling back and forth. The thing about driving across the garden state, especially once you get off I-95, is the crop of McMansions (as if I even need link to this widely- recognized term) that are being mono-cultured like potatoes in Idaho. Usually beside another monocultured crop such as corn.

I've talked some about community planning in the past. Mostly noting the difference between developing rural lands as a clean slate, as opposed to redeveloping urban areas. I'll admit it's my want to poke at the New Urbanist, stemming from the fact that I can't see it working in my neighborhood. From what I've seen and read, theirs is not a plan that integrates well with mixed-use urban settings. That being said, the cornfields full of tree-free, cookie-utter, ten-thousand-square-foot monsters made me quickly reconsider some of their ideas.

All I could think was, "what a wasteful, inelegant use of resources." I kept asking myself who lives in those houses? Are they mimeographed as the houses they inhabit? Do they care? Do they prefer? What's that mindset? Can someone please shed some light?

Tomorrow: enough commentary -- back to work. I've but one week left on my sojourn from working and I'd like to push the progress peg a bit further in the last few days.

Comments

[douglas]

The communities in Central Indiana - where i grew up and my brother still resides - use the term "Sun Swept" for fields of grain now converted into barren McMansion farms. Odd places to see and to be. The only insight I have as to Why? The average $25-35 a square foot. (Manhattan = $1000; Brooklyn, $800).

[Ivy]

I'm not sure you're giving my new urbanist buddies a fair shake. I talk to a lot of designers from that camp, as you know, and while the big news is in "new towns" most shops are also doing little urban infill projects in places just like your neighborhood.

When I was visiting with Kevin (from 180 degree design in KC) he told about 3 or 4 little and big projects in cities where they are matching what's already there, and trying to bring in a good mix of new retail/offices to go along with appropriately scaled residential.

There's lot of emphasis in NU on what the ground/street level looks like, and I think that's what's important in urban work -- what are you doing to the street scape?

So there you have my take.

[Tiny Oak Park Bungalow]

You've struck a chord with me on this one. I'll never get why anyone needs this much square footage. It is just not sustainable. I drive through developments with hundreds of these homes and am convinced that we are doomed.