Main claim: There are some serious concerns on sustainability of suburban life because of different problems.
Background of the problem: - As a result of enlarging of cities at the end of the industrializing process, people had to find places to live for them necessarily. So the first suburbs were created.
- Housing politics enforced especially after the World War II to beginning of 1950's.
- Misallocation of resources of the world. Oil was very cheap in the past in the US. For example, oil was cheaper than water in 1930's. Cheap oil accelerated suburban life.
- Mass production of motor vehicles.
- As a result of these facts, suburban life style required the consumption of all kind of natural resources in a large extent.
Reasons: Living in suburbs requires tremendous amounts of oil, for example to commute between suburbs and cities, malls, schools etc. As a result, oil reserves of the world have decreased, while oil prices have increased.
Suburban life causes global warming. For example, in the summers people uses more energy for cooling. So global warming is another reason.
Consumption of oil is the most convincing factor.
Evidences: Oil production and consumption of the world are at a peak level nowadays. In the next decades, these will decrease.
The other energy resources can not be used effectively like oil.
More global conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
Irresponsibility of media.
Counter-arguments: - Using of hydrogen is a myth.
- Natural gas may be an alternative.
Implications: Everything will be small. Agriculture will be affected worsely. Irrigation will be hard.
Solutions: New urbanism (more walkable places, retailing locally, new architecture techniques)
Developing of rail road systems.
Use of alternative energy, for example natural gas and wind energy.
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