Suburban heaven and hell

Saskia McEldowney: 697634

The development of suburbia over time has moulded and followed the ever shifting dynamic and demographic of society. The suburban home and all its connotations can reveal many historic ideals and advances. The influence of immigration, war and the rise of gender equality can all be seen in today’s suburban homes and also in our attitudes towards them.

The meaning and value of one’s home stems from our morals and our societal beliefs. Former Prime Minister Robert Menzies asserted that it was instinctual for us to own ‘one little piece of earth with a house and a garden which is ours, to which we can withdraw, in which we can be among friends, into which no stranger can come against our will.’ (Pascoe, 2011 pg. 89).  This notion of segregation, privacy and defined land ownership can generate environments of either suburban luxury or suburban isolation and unhappiness. Pascoe highlights the historical differences between two Melbourne suburbs: North Balwyn and Carlton.

(The Age, 2004)

The idea of single detached housing was the housing goal (Pascoe, 2011 pg. 90) for all Australians since the 1800’s (Pascoe, 2011). After the war the focus was turned to creating a home that was a celebration of what Australians had fought and died for (Pascoe, 2011). However, after the war Melbourne experienced a demographic boom teamed with the aftermath of the halted construction during the war resulted in an immense housing and building material shortage (Pascoe, 2011). This shortage encouraged the emergence of modernism. Architectural modernism encouraged innovation/logic and ‘emphasised functionality and scorned ornamentation’ (Pascoe, 2011 pg. 94), which was pivotal during this time of material scarcity. In middle-class societies such as North Balwyn where architects could be afforded, ‘compact, flat-roofed, open plan houses’ (Pascoe, 2011pg. 97) were developing. Boyd was at the forefront of the modernist movement (Pascoe, 2011). He campaigned for architectural modernism in Australian homes endorsing colour, low-maintenance materials and labour saving machines (Pascoe, 2011 pg. 95).  However, these concepts were very much emerging in the middle class environment, for inner city areas such as Carlton the working-class reality was very different (Pascoe, 2011).

Fifty years ago Carlton and other inner-city suburbs were home to predominantly working-class families. It was renowned for its violence and crime; a place where ‘home wasn’t necessarily a safe retreat from the world’ (Pascoe, 2011 pg. 93). Further to this its standards of living in terms of aesthetics of housing, technology and services were trailing far behind other suburbs of the same time (Pascoe, 2011). Only 27% (Pascoe, 2011 pg 91) of the homes in Carlton were owned and therefore renters were not able to make required changes to their deteriorating homes. 

Faraday street terrace housing (5/05/2015)

Terrace housing was the predominant style in Melbourne and Sydney from around 1890 (Pascoe, 2011). These blocks of Terrace housing involved ‘a front door barely separate from the street’ (Pascoe, 2011 pg. 102), virtually no front garden and ‘elaborate Victorian facades’ (Pascoe, 2011 pg. 102). As middle-class suburbs such as Balwyn started adopting modernist architecture inner-city suburbs were being left behind, though with the new waves of Immigration Carlton saw the influence of European cultures improving the living conditions (Pascoe, 2011). However the HCV failed to recognise these changes occurring in these areas classified as ‘slums’. More notably the HCV failed to recognise that these homes had great value to those who lived in them (Pascoe, 2011). Place attachment can commonly arise in poorer suburbs and can mitigate some of the burdens of extreme poverty pg (Hester, 2014 pg. 192) Place attachment reinforces community and a shared sense of values that exerts the most positive influence on the design of community (Hester, 2014 pg.191).

Suburbia is often associated with the oppression of women as the stereotypical ‘house keeper’ however some women in suburbs of Melbourne have flourished in the deep embedded sense of community suburbs can create. Lalor is a suburb 18 km from Melbourne that was known as a mere ‘co-operative soldier settlement’ (Scollay, 2012 pg.240) with low-cost housing (Whittlesea.vic.gov.au, 2015). With little recourses and community infrastructure the area left a lot to be desired (Scollay, 2012). However, this isolated and underdeveloped environment was transformed through the dedicated women of Lalor. The women’s role transformed from bearer and carer of children to pivotal social figures dedicated to ‘fostering…a genuine community spirit’ (Scollay, 2012 pg. 212). Pioneering politically savvy (Scollay, 2012 pg. 236) women created the LWSC – Lalor Women’s Social Club. Their foremost concern was growing the social capital (Scollay, 2012 pg. 213) by catering for the educational, recreational and social needs of their children (Scollay, 2012 pg. 213). These women fought and succeeded in creating a new kindergarten and city hall. Furthermore, they succeeded in generating an atmosphere of harmony, safety, mutual support and co-operation (Scollay, 2012 pg. 226) whilst seeking justice for underprivileged class (Scollay, 2012 pg. 229). Despite these women’s many roles in the home, local political sphere and beyond (some were even nurses and sole…breadwinners (Scollay, 2012 pg. 215)) their occupations were merely listed as ‘home duties’ (Scollay, 2012 pg. 215) – degrading and belittling these women’s roles in society. However, despite the oppression these women fought for and represented modernity (Scollay, 2012 pg. 231). They demonstrated the importance of active couples (Scollay, 2012 pg. 228), the men are able look after the children while the women can go out and thrive in the social and political environment outside the domain of the home.

Streets of Lalor during the 1940’s (Lalor: The Making of a Suburb, 2012)

In today’s societies suburbs are under attack for their excessive sized housing and sprawling nature, which both have very negative impacts on the environment (Hack, 2012). However our reluctance to move into inner-city compacted housing suggests that we are attached to the suburban lifestyle.  Suburban lifestyles are often critiqued as sterile and oppressive however the amazing communities generations of Melbournian suburban dwellers have been able to create has instilled in us this desire to attain community and obtain this sense of familiarity and belonging.   

References

Pascoe, C. (2011). One Little Peice of Earth: Ideals and Realities of 1950's Homes. In C. Pascoe, Spaces Imagined, Places Remembered: Childhood in 1950's Australia (1st ed.). Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

The Age,. (2004). Retrieved from http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/28/1093518161375.html?from=storylhs

Hester, R. (2014). Do Not Detach! Instructions From and For Community Design. In L. Manzo & P. Devine-Wright, Place Attachment: Advances in Theory, Methods and Applications (1st ed.). Oxon: Routledge.

Hack, G. (2012). Shaping Urban Form. In S. Bishwapriya, L. Vale & C. Rosan, Planning Ideas that Matter: Livability, Territoriality, Governance, and Reflective Practice (1st ed.). Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Scollay, M. (2012). Lalor Women. In M. Scollay, Lalor (1st ed.). Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.

Whittlesea.vic.gov.au,. (2015). Whittlesea's suburbs and residents Whittlesea Council. Retrieved 8 May 2015, from https://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/about-whittlesea/whittleseas-suburbs-and-residents

Lalor: The Making of a Suburb. (2012). Retrieved from http://yplocalhistory.blogspot.com.au/2012_02_01_archive.html