Arcadia for Everyone? The Social Context of Garden Suburbs in the U.S

Abstract

Garden suburbs are a particular type of residential development that flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in the U.S. and globally. Using census data of 283 garden suburbs in the U.S., I investigated the exclusivity of the garden suburb by looking at income, housing value, race, and age. I found that garden suburbs had more Whites, single-family housing, and higher family income in all time periods. Income levels were significantly higher whether the comparison was between garden suburbs and the immediately surrounding area (1mile), or between garden suburbs and a wider context.