One of the most interest sections of The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome is the “Origins of a Dream” chapter, providing valuable reading for anyone looking at the foundation of American life, starting with Thomas Jefferson’s vision of a country of farms and towns connected by commerce.
There is a fascinating snapshot of American history here, and Wasik’s research goes back to Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase land grab to capture control of the Mississippi Basin for America, not for France.
As the country grew, planned communities sprung up, such as those in New Jersey and Illinois in the mid-1800s. Wasik uses Chicago to illustrate the move to suburbs as cities grew and became taller with the advance of steel-making. Suburban expansion was the answer, providing affordable housing and an escape from the overcrowded city in early 1880s.
As growth forged ahead, homes became more elaborate and expensive. By 2006 an average of 37 percent of monthly income went to housing expenses. The realities of “house lust” meant people were no longer keeping up with their parents' lifestyles, and no longer able to stop the debt spiral.
Wasik explores options for restoring the concept of home and community with a solid foundation. As he works his way through to the answer, “Build Smart,” we are enlightened and encouraged to recognize the importance of personal values as we attempt to come back from the brink. Jefferson’s ideas of sufficiency were lost somewhere along the way, but that doesn’t mean we can’t turn back. Maybe we can go home again.
The way out is complex but Wasik argues it begins by unlocking property taxes from school funding and local development, by prioritizing transportation funding, updating building codes for the 21st century and opening the way for green jobs and private incentives for affordable housing.
Before you think the housing problems in American won’t reach you, or haven’t yet, check the author's “Watch List” of troubled towns and bright spots on the landscape. It may surprise you. Either way, The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome will enlighten you.
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