In truth, I’m trying to put together some on-camera interviews about this very subject, if you think you might be interested…

Meanwhile, it’s great to have you in the discussion, thanks for looking into the site. And thanks for the feedback — it is much appreciated.

Not even the suburbs are safe anymore (of course we’ve all known that for a while, I guess) as we see foreclosure rates climb ever higher. The types of manufactured neighborhoods you look at here are difficult for me to come to terms with, for a number of reasons. My wife and I chose an established neighborhood and home well within our price range, and thanks to lecherous building and lending practices (not just here in Indy, but in communities like those you featured all over the country) we’re worried we won’t be able to capture our home’s (modest) full value when it comes time to sell in another year or so. Understanding how we all wound up here will be key to making sure it doesn’t happen again – keep fighting the good fight.

as far as the video… i like the idea and shot selection. i would like to see more video of this kind. everyone starts somewhere, and motivation is a powerful tool. there is no substitution for a good eye and meaningful subject. and i think this is a good start.

As for your comments, I couldn’t agree more. The suburbs where I grew up (outer edge of Pike Township) are markedly different than they were when I was a kid. Particularly striking is the large Latino population living in those old 80s-era subdivisions. When I was growing up (and I’m only 30) I think I knew one Mexican kid. Seriously. But as you’ve pointed out, the instinct is the same, no matter who we’re talking about: it’s just different people seeking out the same enclaves — repurposing them, if you will, away from pure white-breadedness toward a future that, if more diverse, is still quite insular, and often just as segregated in a more 21st Century way.

I think Dr. Bodenhamer (the man who did the voice-over) would agree. Without wanting to speak for him, I think what interests him — and, certainly, what interests me — is the instinct, and what it says about our ambivalence toward modern life. For some, suburbia is a resolution of those fears. For others, it’s the embodiment. Either way, we all want sanctuary. Contemporary life is confusing for everyone.

So glad to have a fellow Hoosier on board to swap Indiana impressions with. Thanks again!

As for mbrocklehurst’s comment, the stereotype of suburb as whitebread is falling by the wayside. Not that suburbs aren’t still overwhelmingly white, but in coming back to my home suburb (Carmel, Ind.), the addition of a sizable Chinese community since I left is noticeable, and I know that large black churches that were confined to the inner-city have expanded to the ‘burbs (such as Eastern Star, Tony Dungy’s church, which opened in Fishers.) In Greenwood, to the south, there is a large neighborhood of Sikhs, mostly truck drivers who moved from California.

Point being, everybody is looking for an enclave, a way to escape the chaos of modern life.

As for the video, I’m no critic. But what I found interesting is how the scenes with the fields remind me of the opening credits scenes of “Hoosiers.” In that movie, never did farm fields spent for the season look so grand and beautiful.

Definitely want to err on the side of using a tripod as things progress. Thanks for the thoughtful comments. One tries not to disparage the suburbs too much. I certainly understand the pull and the instinct, particularly as I get older. But I did think this professor had some insightful stuff to say.