The Development of Suburbs. The Location of Baseball Stadiums

During the late twentieth century, the growth of suburbs has become one of the most important aspects of American urban development. Population growth in suburbs is occurring at a much faster rate than in central cities or rural areas. By 1990 nearly half of all Americans were living in suburban communities (Figure 10-9).

Figure 10-9 The Growth of Suburbia in the United States. Census statistics for 1990 reveal that nearly half of all Americans were living in suburban areas. Suburbs are continuing to grow at much faster rates than central cities or nonmetropolitan areas

The development of suburbs, like the outward spread of metropolitan areas in general, occurred in response to changes in transportation technology. The first suburbs developed in the late nineteenth century, when commuter and interurban service was established. By today's standards, these suburbs were very close to the center of their metropolitan areas, and they were primarily inhabited by the wealthy. The "Main Line" upper-clan suburbs of Philadelphia, so called because of their location along the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, were among the first suburbs to begin development. Even today, "Main Line" refers to high-income suburban development near city centers.

The Location of Baseball Stadiums.Are you a fan of the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, or Detroit Tigers? If so. you are doubtless aware that Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and Tiger Stadium are the oldest major-league baseball stadiums in the United States that are still in use. Today, most of us regard these stadiums as "downtown" ballparks, in contrast to newer "suburban" parks such as Royals Stadium in Kansas City. Missouri: Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim. California: and Arlington Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Wrigley Field in Chicago (Figure B10-1) is located about three miles in a straight-line distance north of the Chicago Loop—a long walk, or perhaps a short bus or taxi ride. In the early twentieth century, however, the neighbor- hood around Wrigley Field was on the outskirts of the city. Developers proposing to construct the stadium at Clark and Addison were ridiculed. Why would someone travel such a long distance to see a baseball game? Of course, the construction of the stadium helped to encourage further expansion of Chicago. Public transportation was built to accommodate fans, further encouraging people to move farther from the city center.

As Chicago, Detroit, and Boston continued to expand outward, their now-aging stadiums became recognized as central-city landmarks rather than outposts at the fringe of the metropolitan area. During the 1960s and 1970s, many cities constructed new stadiums in outlying, automobile-accessible neighborhoods or suburban jurisdictions. This strategy was especially popular in the South and West, and was followed in Kansas City, Los Angeles, and San Diego. In the Dallas area, both the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys professional football teams play in suburban stadiums, and a new baseball stadium is currently under construction.

Despite the trend toward suburbanization, many new ballparks were built in downtown locations. Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium are two outstanding examples. New stadiums in Philadelphia, Toronto, Minneapolis, and St. Louis are downtown landmarks as well. Two widely celebrated stadiums constructed in the early 1990s are the new Comiskey Park in Chicago and Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Both are easily accessible from downtown areas.

Figure B10-1 Chicago's Wrigley Field. This baseball stadium, once on the city's fringe, is now a central-city landmark

After World War I, middle-class people began to move to the suburbs. Middle-class suburbs were not restricted to location along railroad lines, as automobiles had come into common use. The automobile also enabled suburban development at greater distances from city centers. This trend began to accelerate after World War II, when millions of returning veterans were qualified for low-interest housing loans on the basis of their military service. At that time, developers began to produce standardized suburban housing on a large scale.

Suburbanization continued to accelerate throughout the 1950s and 1960s. By 1960 the suburban populations of many American metropolitan areas were considerably greater than those in the central cities; however, most suburbs remained bedroom communities. Suburban residents continued to work, shop, and be entertained in central cities.

This situation began to change in the 1960s. Suburban communities became increasingly independent of their central cities. With improved limited-access highways, industries found suburban locations increasingly attractive, and retailing moved into suburbs at an unprecedented pace. The suburban shopping mall gradually replaced the downtown commercial district as the major locus for urban retailing activity. In addition, the population composition of many suburban areas began to change dramatically after the 1970s.

Whereas in earlier periods suburbs were overwhelmingly white, in the 1970s and 1980s nonwhite minority populations began to move to suburban areas in large numbers. Today, most large American metropolitan areas include suburbs with primarily African-American, Latin-American, or Asian-American populations.