Towards Successful Suburban Town Centres
A study of the relationship between morphology, sociability, economics and accessibility
Please note that this project has finished. The current project is Adaptable Suburbs.
RGS - IBG Conference 2008: The Geography of Suburban Space - SSTC project in association with the Urban Geography Research Group
Paper 1: SSTC Project (UCL) - Towards an historical-geographical theory of suburban space paper 2 ››
Although cities are routinely acknowledged as complex built environments, suburbs tend to be overlooked as places with definable characteristics. This paper critically reviews the theoretical assumptions that underpin suburban literature and suggests some new perspectives on suburbs as distinctive social-spatial forms. Two schools of thought are identified as having formed approaches to suburban studies: the 'idealist' and 'realist'. The review shows that the character of suburban built form is part of a historical process of urban growth and change, which enables it to generate movement at a variety of scales. The review suggests that a greater understanding of the relation between suburban society and suburban built form would lead to a fuller appreciation of suburbs as distinctive and multi-faceted environments for living and working.
Based on the EPSRC funded 'Towards Successful Suburban Town Centres' project, the paper adopts the approach that suburban adaptability over time holds within it the best potential for diversity of use and thus, social and economic sustainability and even, success. An important theoretical tension that is created between planned and laissez-faire approaches need to be navigated in a way that will allow suburbs to be successful, while not opening the urban environment to strong destructive forces that can be unleashed by market forces. This is a major challenge that new policies for successful suburbs need to deal with.
Project contacts: email: l.vaughan@ucl.ac.uk - telephone: +44 (0)20 3108 9042 - general enquiries: contact us
EPSRC reference: EP/D06595X/1
University College London - Gower Street - London - WC1E 6BT - 
