School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Theses

Permanent URI for this collection

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1

Planned communities and unplanned realities: a comparative history of 'community mindedness' in Greenbelt and Levittown

Anderson, Clemency ( 2015)

This thesis is a comparative history of Greenbelt, Maryland and Levittown, New York; two planned communities that were built in the mid-twentieth century. The aim of this study is to uncover the forces at work in these suburbs that affected the ability of residents to be community-minded. As this essay demonstrates, Greenbelt residents were resoundingly more communal than their Levittown descendants. A comparative study shows how variables such as state government, tax levels, education systems, transport infrastructure and popular culture each played a role in fostering community. The ongoing relevance of Environmental Determinism in suburban planning is confirmed. This thesis also attempts to negotiate the schism between pre and post-World War Two America, as the legacy of Greenbelt towns is written into the trajectory of postwar suburbia for one of the first times.