Traditional urbanism meets residential affluence - An analysis of the variability of suburban preference

This article evaluates the likelihood that wealthy suburban residents in th e U.S. would endorse the ideas currently being promulgated by advocates of traditional urbanism. The results of an attitudinal survey of 185 affluent, mostly White residents of a suburb 25 miles north of Dallas, Texas, are re ported. Four hypotheses were developed and used to assess what aspects of r esidential preference may be linked to an acceptance of traditional urbanis m concepts. The findings indicate that residents are very attached to their neighborhood and are unlikely to accept criticisms of their suburban lifes tyle. Further, agreement with traditional urbanism concepts was associated with a perceived failure of the physical planning aspects of suburban devel opment such as access to services. The conclusion isr:hat in general, afflu ent suburban residents are likely to base any disfavor with suburban living on factors that affect them in very practical ways and not on a lack of co mmunity sentiment or a sense of the social or environmental weaknesses of s uburban development. The findings also support the view that residential pr eferences are not inflexible and are sometimes even contradictory. This ada ptability suggests that education about the impacts of development may be w arranted.