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Kenneth T. Jackson
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Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States First Edition

by Kenneth T. Jackson (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 194 ratings
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This first full scale history of the development of the American suburb examines how "the good life" in America came to be equated with the a home of one's own surrounded by a grassy yard and located far from the urban workplace. Integrating social history with economic and architectural analysis, and taking into account such factors as the availability of cheap land, inexpensive building methods, and rapid transportation, Kenneth Jackson chronicles the phenomenal growth of the American suburb from the middle of the 19th century to the present day. He treats communities in every section of the U.S. and compares American residential patterns with those of Japan and Europe. In conclusion, Jackson offers a controversial prediction: that the future of residential deconcentration will be very different from its past in both the U.S. and Europe.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0195049837
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0195049831
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    April 16, 1987
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    8.03 x 5.35 x 0.91 inches
  8. Print length
    432 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A compelling narrative.... Jackson traces the consequences of the predominantly North American process [of suburbanization] through three centuries of technological, economic and social innovation."--Philadelphia Inquirer

Book Description

"A landmark publication, a book of major scholarly and practical importance."--American Historical Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (April 16, 1987)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195049837
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195049831
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1570L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.03 x 5.35 x 0.91 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 194 ratings

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Kenneth T. Jackson

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
194 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

ACustomer0920
5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough History!
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2019
Verified Purchase
I very much enjoyed this read. The suburbs did not just happen by chance; instead, advances in transportation, city conditions, wealth, city municipalities, and federal housing policies all shaped suburban development. Jackson also highlights how the wealthy and powerful—realtors, businessmen, legislators, and the government—served as gatekeepers by deciding who to include and exclude from the picturesque American dream increasingly defined by owning a home in the suburbs. If you want to learn more about U.S. suburbanization, I highly recommend this title.
3 people found this helpful
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H. D. Espinosa
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book on Social, Economical and Urban Development
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2010
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This book is exactly 15 years old as I write this review. By accidental coincidence, today is also the day I finished reading it. As I always had curiosity and interest about American urban landscape, I thought this book would bring me different perspectives in comparison to two books I already had (both  Suburban Nation (10th Anniversary Edition): The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream  and  It's a Sprawl World After All: The Human Cost of Unplanned Growth -- and Visions of a Better Future ) and found Crabgrass Frontier a combination of both. While "Suburban Nation" focuses specially on the "technical" reasons the suburbs were formed the way they are, the other book develops more on the psychological and social effects that such environment created in many suburbanites.

Even though this book is relatively old, it contains arguments and definitions which are pretty much valid today, and predictions made about a city and countryside comeback due to suburbs decay and the rejection - at least for the most part - of a fragmented labor force, with white-color professionals working from the comfort and convenience of their own homes have proven to be accurate. After all, everything that goes up, must come down according to the gravity law...or everything that spreads outwards, must come inwards for that matter.

This is neither a pro nor an anti suburbanization piece of work, although it sometimes attributes social stratification and other inner city illnesses to this pattern of urban development. Rather, it describes what, when, how and why things are the way they appear today. It's a union of two other great books on the subject (the ones referred above) that is worth reading, especially those interested in urban planning and social and economical development.
7 people found this helpful
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David
4.0 out of 5 stars A great glimpse into the history of the suburb
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2008
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While often overloaded with details, anecdotes, and apocrypha, Crabgrass Frontier is a passionate, informative investigation into the history of the suburb, both in America and elsewhere. The author clearly researched his stuff thoroughly, though one might wish for a bit LESS detail sometimes (his "evidentiary anecdotes" often get in the way of the narrative flow).

The sheer volume of detail and data make this a great book for the historian or history student (in college).
The passion of the author, and the light writing style, makes this a great book for the historical dabbler as well.

A good read, if at times a bit weighty.
5 people found this helpful
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Eileen C McIntyre
5.0 out of 5 stars Book arrived in great shape
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2023
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Looks very close to unused. Exceeded my expectations for a used book in good condition.
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Jacqueline
3.0 out of 5 stars Older copy, fine condition
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2014
Verified Purchase
It's a bit of an older copy than I expected. The pages are yellow but the book itself is in fine condition. There's just some underlining her and there.
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Leon Lam
5.0 out of 5 stars The book on suburbanization
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2017
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This is probably the first comprehensive study of suburbanization. Jackson traces the history of urban development and provides a persuasive chronology of events that led to the present American society. His analysis of the social, political and intellectual context leading the formation of Levittowns in the 1950s is sound and useful to understand the more distant causes of "white flight" in the 1960s and 70s. Both in depth and breadth, this is certainly the book for the general audience on the topic.
5 people found this helpful
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Jake hicks
5.0 out of 5 stars still relevant today
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2023
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Dr. Jackson’s classic work is still relevant even today
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ChangYai
5.0 out of 5 stars A History of Ideas
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2011
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I love this book. It takes you back and allows you to contextualize the American home and way of life. His comparison with Europe are helpful but I wish he made more as well as more to Asian cities (he only mentions Japan a few times). It really gives some great insight into how the American lifestyle got where it is. I am not waiting for a more recent book with similar scholarship. His review of how people viewed the home and (public/private) space in general since the nineteenth century was the most interesting aspect of the book for me.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Lydia Harvey
5.0 out of 5 stars Oddly remarkable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2019
Verified Purchase
Interesting read, helps understand the context of suburbia even for a UK student. Helped with my myth making assignment based upon Levittown!
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AndreaM
5.0 out of 5 stars Esaustivo
Reviewed in Italy on August 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
Interessante è approfondito excursus sull'urbanizzazione negli stati uniti dal '700 al 1984, con analisi storiche e socio-economico e alcuni paralleli con l'Europa e il Giappone. Le previsioni sul futuro (il libro è stato scritto a metà anni '80) sono in parte errate e in parte esatte. Non è un libro leggero ma è scritto con buona capacità esplicativa.
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まこちん
5.0 out of 5 stars アメリカの都市発展がよくわかる
Reviewed in Japan on April 21, 2014
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交通手段とアメリカの都市の発展と衰退がコンパクトに記述されており，とても役に立つ。古典的な名著である。
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Kelsi
2.0 out of 5 stars Dry
Reviewed in Canada on January 14, 2014
Verified Purchase
Jackson did a good job proving his argument but the book was extremely dry and made it hard to stay committed to finishing it.
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