Like most Americans, I grew up mostly in suburban neighborhoods. And to grow up in the suburbs is to know their promises and, perhaps more palpably, their shortcomings. So when Vox senior reporter Marina Bolotnikova pitched an ambitious story about what the future of housing in America could and should look like — including a remaking of our suburbs — I was excited to assign it.
It’s amid acute housing troubles, Marina points out, that America is turning 250. But our present does not need to be our future. This, in fact, is the moment we can seize and help move the country to a much more humane, abundant — and even, she promises, fun — housing landscape by the time the country rings in 300.
In her incredibly fresh and deep story, Marina examines the problems with how we’ve approached housing and how we can fix them. And what we’ll need to adapt for as the country’s population evolves. This includes her refreshed vision of the suburbs, which could blossom with neighborhood cafes, cottages, fitness studios, bookshops, and, yes, plenty of senior co-housing. Which, then in my 90s, I’ll be delighted to move back to the suburbs.
This kind of writing is made possible by our Vox Members. If you would like to support Vox’s independent journalism, please consider becoming a Vox Member today.
—Katherine Courage, deputy editor Future Perfect
