How Close is South Jersey to Wright's Vision of "Broadacre
City"?
Broadacre City was a utopian vision, it will never be
built exactly as Wright conceived of it.
But writers such as James
Krohe say that "the urbanizing fringes of Illinois’ cities look remarkably
like what Wright imagined 70 years ago..." A University
of California course uses Levittown as an example of Broadacre City
(Willingboro in Burlington county was formerly a Levittown).
Some elements of "Broadacre City" in South Jersey include:
The Garden State Parkway is a beautiful, fast, safe roadway.
Hundreds of suburban developments that offer the "American
Dream" to thousands of families, even if they do not always appeal to those
with more refined architectural sensibilities.
Retirement Communities such as Medford
Leas that are beautiful nature reserves as well as residences.
South Jersey's famous farmers'
markets that help keep family farms viable and add to the quality of
life of suburbanites.
There are many cabins and campgrounds in the Pinelands
which are South Jersey's geographic core.
Of course, South Jersey also has many commercial
buildings that jar with the nature of the community, because we often
lack the strong design standards that Wright insisted on in his vision
of Broadacre City.
But commercialism is not inconsistent with Broadacre City.
Perhaps the best example of what Wright's concept could look like in South
Jersey is actually a Shopping Center.....