Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Settle down ...

... and make yourself to home - unless it's those evil suburbs: How Sprawl Got a Bad Name.

When asked, most Americans declare themselves to be against sprawl, just as they say they are against pollution or the destruction of historic buildings. But the very development that one individual targets as sprawl is often another familyÍs much-loved community. Very few people believe that they themselves live in sprawl, or contribute to sprawl. Sprawl is where other people live, particularly people with less good taste. Much anti-sprawl activism is based on a desire to reform these other people's lives.

A desire to reform other people's lives fuels much activism. It is the new Puritanism. And the new Puritans, just like the old ones, are deeply worried that someone, somewhere may be having a good time (as Mencken put it).

This piece is just one addressing the Attack of the Snobs.

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