A ‘Substantial’ Diversity. Approaches to the Concept of Suburbia in the Global North

Abstract

Suburbia is considered the globally ubiquitous borderland of every major urban settlement. While the debate about specific suburban characteristics has been exten­sive, it is primarily held under North American assumptions: (slowly diversifying) white middle  – class settlements with low – density detached housing. 

Harris criticized this Anglo  – American  – centric approach to the concept of suburbia as mostly self – referential, instead advocating for “a typology to organize […] the diversity of suburban meanings, worldwide” (2010: 16). Developing a general fra­mework he illustrated differences and commonalities between the Global North and the Global South but forwent a deeper differentiation. 

For the case of suburban Germany Burdack and Hesse emphasized its highly discrete characteristics (2006); the suburban France is often described as periurban instead; and the suburban Asia (i.e. Japan and South Korea) seems altogether neglected in international academia. In other words: There is a spectrum of concepts of suburbia in the Global North that is uncharted. 

With urbanization as a global phenomenon also came globally understandable aspects of what is considered urban. In a reaction to the debate about ‘planetary ur­banization’ as an overly generalizing concept Brenner proposed an engaged pluralism (2018): Incorporating local specifics into a nevertheless ubiquitous phenomenon. 

Following Brenner under a dedicated intercultural hermeneutically perspective I will in my contribution use the term suburbia as a basic container. In a comparative meta  – analysis of academic literature I will explore how this container is filled with a ‘substantial’ diversity of concept of suburbia in the Global North.