American dream or nightmare

The province of Barcelona has 335 urbanizations with urbanistic deficits spread across 115 municipalities, most of them within the metropolitan area, according to a census of these low-density residential nuclei, carried out by the Diputación. They are half of the total number of urbanizations that have emerged in the demarcation since the 1960s. They are the Catalan version of the phenomenon that arose in the United States after World War II. A lifestyle known as the american way of life, which the exhibition Suburbia, the construction of the American dream portrays at the CCCB and which can be visited until September 8.

The exhibition traces the American history of these concentrations of single-family homes with gardens inhabited by happy white families who share barbecues on weekends and which cinema and television have exploited so much. According to the exhibition, in the United States, this phenomenon skyrocketed after the return of soldiers who had fought in Europe and the Pacific, eager to start a family but unable to find a place in the overcrowded cities. Thanks to advantageous loans provided by the state and the adaptation of chain production to the real estate sector, 11 million families residing in these single-family homes starred in the U.S. baby boom.

The American dream expanded and captivated half the world, including Spain, although the social characteristics of the urbanizations here have been different from the American ones. In Spain, the birth of these residential complexes of single-family homes began in the era of the 600 and developmentalism, when citizens could gain autonomy with their first cars, which allowed them to travel on weekends to the land where they would build their tower, their second home. This is a fundamental difference from the American model, where single-family homes were primary residences.

The exhibition recalls the impact that the presence of the United States at the 1955 Trade Fair had on Barcelona. Outside the American pavilion, a prefabricated single-family house was set up with its lawn plot and a car in the garage. It was a sample of the well-known Levitt housing model. It takes its name from the builder William Levitt, who became the great magnate of chain manufacturing of residential suburbs. His company, Levitt & Sons, was known as the General Motors of the real estate sector. At its peak production, it could build a house every 15 minutes.

After a while of the suburban explosion, as the exhibition calls it, the american way of life entered a crisis, when racial minorities broke into these low-density residential areas, which ceased to be exclusively for whites. In some way, this model of life was democratized, to which all social classes had access, not only the wealthiest. Of course, with lower quality housing. However, despite all fears, the model has not stopped expanding. Today, according to data shown in the exhibition, 8 out of 10 Americans live dispersed in a single-family home, which in total represent 75% of residential areas.

In Catalonia, the phenomenon of urbanizations has gone through several phases. Until the 80s, many of them were built through illegal subdivisions and, consequently, without services. From 1980, after the first democratic municipal elections, a process of regularization of urbanizations began. Subdivision was limited but the land classification was not reversed, so existing ones were consolidated.

That is why the Barcelona Provincial Council detected 335 with various urban deficiencies, but also in services and access. In urbanizations there is no local commerce, there is insecurity and medical attention has a high cost due to the lack of health centers. The lack of a metropolitan government with powers aggravates the situation because urbanizations also suffer from a governance problem.

The lack of a metropolitan government with powers aggravates the situation because urbanizations also suffer from a governance problem