The majority of the world's population now live in urban areas and the
21st century has been declared as the "urban age". However,
closer inspection of where people live in cities, especially within
so-called advanced liberal democracies such as Australia, the United
Kingdom and the United States, reveals that most people live in
different types of suburban environments.
Drawing together scholars from across the globe, this book provides a
series of national, regional, and local case studies from Australia,
Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the
United States to exemplify the diverse and dynamic nature and importance
of suburbia in 21st century urban studies, city-building, and
urbanism.
This book explores the evolving social, physical, and economic character
of the suburbs and how structural processes, market dynamics, and
government policies have shaped and transformed suburbia around the
world. It highlights the continuing importance of the suburbs and the
suburban dream, which lives on albeit under increasing challenges, such
as the global financial crisis, structural racism, and the Covid-19
pandemic, which have given rise to various suburban nightmares.