Protecting Suburban America explores the dynamics and conflicts inherent in preserving historic twentieth-century suburban landscapes in America.Bridging architecture; anthropology; planning; and urban studies; its unique approach combines a study of historic preservation with multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork; to shed fascinating light on issues of heritage; preservation; gentrification; class; ethnicity; and contested values in suburbia. These are subjects which reach far beyond the setting of the books focus in California to touch on topical debates in cities; suburbia; and gentrifying neighborhoods worldwide.At the heart of the book is a detailed comparative ethnography of preservation practices and the changing landscapes of five suburban cities; where affluent homeowners have begun to restore their early twentieth-century houses in neighborhoods once suffering from decline. Not every neighbor; however; shares the same aesthetic values; and complex dynamics can arise. The study compares experiences in five different cities; and in different long-term; immigrant; and gentrifying populations. Themes revealed include homeowner restoration practices; aesthetic contestations; local advocacy; and public policy; alongside an exploration of the social construction of the historic restoration process; and how homeowners construct historical meaning in their homes and neighbourhoods. These are themes with consequences for national and global settings – of interest wherever contested preservation aesthetics and regulations are reshaping older residential neighbourhoods and their social dynamics.
2016-03-03 2016-03-03File Name: B01CIKO0VY
Review
