The Cul-De-Sac Syndrome
Bloomberg Press, June 2009
An incisive look at the consequences of today's costly and damaging suburban lifestyle
Wasik's observations are firmly grounded in exclusive on-the-ground research, interviews with thought leaders, and the latest studies and statistics. He exposes the untold truths about home ownership: “green” isn't always so “green”; life isn't cheaper after accounting for gas, water, and taxes; and modern suburban living isn't so idyllic considering the toll it takes on our health. But some are attempting to revive suburbia, and Wasik shows us how.
The roots of the worst housing bust in generations lie in the mythology of the American dream: buy as much house as possible, move away from urban centers, home prices will always go up, the schools there are “better.” The foundation of the dream itself is faulty; indeed, the desire that “every man have his castle” is bankrupting us.
Today's crisis in home values is the least of suburbia's problems. The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome details the destructive connections between home ownership, economics, and the environment. John Wasik provides powerful insights into how the U.S. suburban lifestyle became unsustainable and what can be done to salvage it.
hardcover | ISBN: 9781576603208 | Publication Date: June 2009
Reviews:
"John Wasik's
The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome offers enough to chew on for three
sets of teeth, enough to digest for three stomachs, and then alerts
the mind faster than an approaching siren."
--Ralph Nader,
Consumer advocate
"Get ready for a totally original look
at the American dream. Wasik delivers the first truly
multidisciplinary examination -- using planning, law, architecture,
and history to focus on working solutions that can keep the dream
alive. This is a winner!"
--Paul B. Farrell, JD, PhD,
Columnist, MarketWatch.com, author of The Millionaire Code
This
excellent book takes a ground-level look at the causes of our housing
crisis and offers myriad ideas on reinventing the concepts of home
and community."
--Ilyce R.Glink, Syndicated real estate
columnist and author of 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer
Should Ask
"A genuine kick to the head, showing how
our individual quests for the biggest house on the hill is destroying
our environment, the economy, and our health. But The Cul-de-Sac
Syndrome is no dead end. It offers a green, urbanized promised
land with real community, more free time, and a higher living
standard. It's a masterful blueprint to unpave paradise and restore
the world we cherish."
--Laurence Kotlikoff, Coauthor of
Spend 'Til the End: The Revolutionary Guide to Raising Your Living
Standard -- Today and When You Retire
