Every house in the neighborhood looks nearly identical, with perfectly manicured lawns. There’s not a bike lane in sight, and it’ll take you at least 30 minutes to walk to the nearest shop. Trees are few and far between, and if you don’t own a car, you’re essentially stranded. That’s right, folks, we’re talking about the good old suburbs!
Below, you’ll find some of the most depressing posts from the Suburban Hell subreddit, a community advocating for more sustainable cities, as well as a conversation with Brett Stadelmann, Founder and Editor of Unsustainable Magazine. Whether you’re a resident of suburbia or not, be sure to upvote the pics that infuriate you the most, and remember that you’re not alone if you’re currently stuck in the suburbs!
This post may include affiliate links.
Defiant Family Refuse To Sell $50M Sydney Property To Developers
To gain some insight on the topic of suburbs from a sustainability standpoint, we reached out to Brett Stadelmann, Founder and Editor of Unsustainable Magazine. Brett was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share his personal thoughts on suburbs. “I grew up in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, so for me, the suburbs feel perfectly natural and very balanced, between the fast pace of the city and the slower life of the country,” he shared.
When it comes to the pros of living in the suburbs, Brett says, “You get all the cultural benefits of being near a city, such as services, culture, food, and job prospects, without some of the downsides such as poor air quality, noise, and overcrowding.”
On the other hand, Brett says some of the cons are, “Traveling anywhere does take time and results in emissions, and air quality still isn't perfect. You're completely at the mercy of your neighbors in terms of toxic airborne products they decide to use for cleaning, gardening, hobbies, and the like.”
It's Almost Dystopian
As far as making suburbs more environmentally friendly, Brett told Bored Panda, “Every neighborhood should have a group looking at sustainability, increasing natural spaces, reducing traffic, promoting recycling, etc. If you can't find one, start one, because more and more people want to be involved in something positive.”
And if you’re considering moving to the suburbs, Brett says, “If you're from the city, get used to driving more, a lot more. If you're from the country, expect a much higher density of population.”
If you’d like to learn more about how we can be kind to our environment, regardless of where you live, be sure to check out Unsustainable Magazine right here!
Thought This Belonged Here If It’s Not Already
Even if you’ve never experienced living in the suburbs first hand, you likely have an image in your mind of what they're like from countless American films and TV shows. Huge neighborhoods filled with exclusively large houses that have front and back yards and no grocery stores or shops within walking distance. If you’re lucky, the roads are safe enough to bike on, but more likely than not, cars are a necessity to get anywhere, even if it’s only a mile away. If you do live in the United States, there’s a pretty good chance you have lived in suburbia at one time or another, as according to the 2020 census, there are approximately 130 million Americans living in some form of suburbs.
And while you might be thinking that living in the suburbs is an outdated desire, you might be surprised to find out that many people still choose to move outside of urban areas. In fact, the Pew Research Center has found that Americans have become more likely to prefer living in suburbs since the pandemic. Between 2018 and 2021, the percentage of people who prefer living in cities has gone down by 4 points, while the percentage of people who prefer suburban areas has increased by 4 points. Some of the reasons people may prefer suburbs are having a quieter environment, being able to work remotely, and finding cheaper housing and larger spaces.
Never Forget What Was Taken From Us
Thought This Was Fitting For This Sub
Land Use Matters
as someone who grew up in soviet bloc housing, this repulses me. You say block housing is bad, and then basically manspread like this? no wonder we have no environment anymore.
On the other hand, however, some people view living in the suburbs as an absolute nightmare. That’s where the Suburban Hell subreddit comes in. This community, which describes itself as being “about suburbs, how bad they are, how ugly they are and solutions against them,” has amassed nearly 57k members since 2015. The group does an excellent job detailing why suburbs aren’t always the most sustainable or reasonable way of living. From aerial views of cities showing exclusively asphalt and pavement to images of kids crossing major roads just to get to school, Suburban Hell has it all!
These photos point out how the land used in many suburbs could have been utilized much more effectively, providing additional housing, additional greenery and more sustainable ways of transportation than simply driving cars. According to Untapped New York, the first American suburb was Levittown, Long Island, which became what we now consider suburban in the 1940s. Today, however, over half of the households in the US would consider their neighborhoods “suburban,” rather than urban or rural.
Car-Dependency Destroys Nature
I've Noticed This Weird Disconnect With Reality Surbubanites Have
Honest Design
Suburbs are often criticized for being poor uses of space, destroying natural habitats, polluting water, wasting resources and exacerbating housing crises. But among all of the problems that crop up in suburbia, Chris Weller at Insider says there may actually be an evolutionary reason why the suburbs feel like a hellscape. He explains that two things that humans have natural preferences for, socialization and well-defined spaces, are made much more difficult when living in suburbs. When we live in large homes with yards and pools and drive everywhere, we encounter people out and about much less than if we were to live in an apartment building with a courtyard and had to walk down the street or ride public transportation to get around. Suburbs make it incredibly easy to isolate ourselves and avoid interaction.
The "I Live In The Suburbs For The Peace And Quiet" Starter Pack
What A Cute Garage, Even Looks Like A House!
How A Suburb Should Look: 1. Built Around Train Station 2. Everyone Within A 10 Minute Walk 3. Human Scale
Another reason Weller notes that makes residents’ lives much more difficult in suburbs is the “lack of planned order found in urban environments.” When you don’t have a lot of space available, you have to be wise with how you use it. Your apartment building might have a grocery store and a coffee shop on the first floor, and trees often line city sidewalks, as they have nowhere else to go. But in suburbs, where everything is designed to make it easier for cars to get around, the pedestrian experience is often ignored. The planning just doesn’t make sense, and when we don’t have defined walking and biking paths, we don’t feel comfortable or at ease trying to maneuver around without a car.
Car Dependency
Where Suburban Sprawl Meets An Indian Reservation In Scottsdale, Arizona
I'll Take Mixed-Use, Walkable Urbanism Instead, Please
Right 👍. Better keep the country and just provide eco-friendly transportation to the city.
If you’re concerned about the environment (which, let’s face it, who isn’t these days?), you might want to become an advocate for urban areas over suburbs too. According to the Organization for World Peace, suburban sprawl is a major contributor to climate change. They explain that the reliance on vehicles suburbs have created greatly increases suburbanites’ greenhouse gas emissions and use of fossil fuels. Large homes require lots of energy to maintain, while housing small amounts of people.
𝒜𝓂𝑒𝓇𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂 (Before And After)
An inner city suburb of Detroit. It was formerly known as “Black Bottom” Before they obliterated it with the highway, as it was a predominantly African American neighborhood.
Unfortunately, America was not the only country affected by the "everything for the car". This trend wreaked havoc in every country in the world around the 1960s. Even my small, historically rich town of 200,000 (founded in the 6th century) suffered havoc for building expressways.
1979 Advertisement For London Transit Showing How The City Would Look If Built By American Planners
Triacylglycerol Looking Like Any Suburb Ever
Same design for prison cell arrangements. Efficiency tends to be a logical choice.
Load More Replies...Notice their two "H's" missing, Yeah they straight up and left to go somewhere more nicer
Well, this way the area isn't completely saturated with housing.
Load More Replies...Suburban sprawl also greatly contributes to water pollution, the Organization for World Peace notes. “Lawns and gardens contribute to water pollution on a surprisingly large scale. Sprinklers and other irrigation systems can lead to harmful run-off. Run-off from lawns and gardens carries with it fertilizers, pesticides and other potentially harmful substances,” they explain. “These substances get rinsed into adjacent bodies of water. The products used to treat lawns and gardens eventually contribute to the pollution of lakes, rivers, streams, and even the ocean.”
How Far A Pedestrian Has To Go To Cross A Street Using Crosswalks
Always The Same
Florida 😍
Turning massive amounts of land into suburbs also takes away land that could have been used for agriculture and provided us with the opportunity to grow more food. “This land could have been relied upon by generations to come for food production,” the Organization for World Peace explains. “This issue is particularly troubling as population explosion continues. The sprawling development pattern exemplifies the capitalist impulse to disregard long-term sustainability in favor of short-term profit.” Unfortunately, however, it’s still the dream of many individuals to purchase a home with a yard for their family one day.
The American Dream 😍
The Soulless Suburbs Of Omaha
Get Your House Away From My House!
So what’s the solution to living in suburban hell? Well, according to the Organization for World Peace, it might come down to legislation. By implementing stricter government regulations on land development, communities could be required to use space and resources more sustainably and efficiently. Creating more housing in smaller spaces that uses less resources sounds like a win-win. People just have to keep an open mind and realize that living in a suburb might not be the happily ever after they always wanted. Perhaps taking better care of our planet and our communities is a bigger win.
I Love Bikeable Cities 😍
Students And Parents Must Scale Wall In Order To Travel Between School And Their Homes
Location Pflugerville, Texas, USA.
Must Add Parking
Whether you’ve lived your entire life in the suburbs or you refuse to step foot in them, we hope you’re enjoying this list, pandas. Keep upvoting the pics that you think scream “suburban hell,” and feel free to share your thoughts on suburbia in the comments below. Then, if you’re interested in checking out a Bored Panda article discussing a similar topic, Urban Hell, look no further than right here!
Spatial Priorities (Source: @fanmaps)
Congrats! Your Neighborhood Is A Highway Exit! (Austin, Tx)
I wonder how far it is to the nearest amenities? Shops, entertainment, leisure centres etc?
Paris, France (Pop. ~2.2 Million) City Limits Overlaid At The Same Scale As Houston, USA City Limits (Pop. ~2.3 Million)
Note: this post originally had 102 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
looking at my comments, i see that i have become enraged. Apologies, fellow pandas 😔
No need to apologise, some of these are truly horrible
Load More Replies...Riddle me this: y'all buy a house in an area where everyone has at least a km2 of land around their house, but you do not plant a single tree. Just grass. Endless lawn, but not a single flower or bush. WHY?
There's plenty to be said about suburbia, mostly bad, but this post should just be relabeled "People who live differently than me and it makes me uncomfortable because I can't fathom someone who finds satisfaction outside of my own worldview."
Also important: This thread is 99.9998% b******t. Funny angles, misleading captions, incomplete construction...
Load More Replies...Why are suburbs obsessed with lawns and not gardens? Won't gardens make the place look beautiful? and why are all the housed painted the same color, I mean the houses look the same but can't the owners repaint them as per their liking? Where is the uniqueness?
If I had my way, native-only plants would be the rule. Paint whatever you want. Things that don't harm your neighbors. Different fencing styles, even! (I know someone in a local HOA just fainted.../s/)
Load More Replies...I'm an American and have lived most of my life in suburbia. I have two beagles and can't imagine them not having a fenced yard.
You can have fenced yards in rowhouses, apartments, etc.
Load More Replies...I live in the suburbs and I can assure y’all that it is not all like this, but the issue is that houses where I live cost a lot of money, so most people can’t afford to live there. And it’s such a shame because because it’s absolutely beautiful, no HOA, so many trees, the houses have so much variety. We need this but on a cheaper level
I feel the same, having lived in the suburbs my whole life. It can be beautiful, but expensive.
Load More Replies...They took all the trees Put 'em in a tree museum And they charged all the people an arm and a leg just to see 'em Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone They paved paradise put up a parking lot.
I live in a medium sized town in the uk. I have three parks within a ten minute walk, and another couple of open spaces to walk my dog. I live within 3 minutes of two different bus routes into the town centre (which is a 15/20 minute walk away), and the train station is a 10 minute walk away. I have 3 supermarkets within an easy walk away, two coffee shops and tonight I'm going to walk to a local restaurant before I go to the theatre. We have a car, but I can't drive due to my disability. I have an electric wheelchair and that allows me to live my life fully; I see friends, visit family, shop, go to the doctors and the hospital, go to the cinema, the theatre, go out for dinner or drinks all without getting in the car. I can't imagine living in the suburbs described here as I would be stuck without being able to drive.
Honestly, most things are no more than 10 or 15 minutes away by car. I guess I'm just used to driving everywhere, so it doesn't seem bad (also we don't have to carry our groceries)
Load More Replies...After living all my life in Europe I moved to Toronto for education in my 30s and rented a room in a suburb. Can't explain how I hated that lifestyle after a week. No shops, no public places, no human interaction. I had to take a bus (25 min walk to bus stop) to buy a bread. Two months later I found a room in downtown. It was more expensive but at least I felt like a living being again. It's just really depressing.
Well I actually live in one of those developments, in à small suburb town 15 miles from Paris. It's 2 U-shapes facing each other, with dead-end streets radiating inwards. Nearly 450 houses. BUT: It's right in the middle of the town (originally à village) so everything is walkable or bikable. Inside the U shapes are two private communal parks, accessible from every backyard through lanes. There are 15 different models of houses, different sizes, some flat-roofed, so ther's no cookie-cutter effect We do have the equivalent of à HOA, since we co-own the parks, and some rules, mostly about the houses' apparence (must be painted white, white or wood shutters), but they're not pests like I often read about here. My town has à very good bus system, and a train to Paris.
I'm thankful that I live within walking distance of everything. School, amenities/high street, parks etc. The train station a few mins walk away if I need to go to the office. Sky have recently completed their studio complex at the edge of town and they run electric shuttle busses to and from the studio and the high street. It's about a 30 min walk otherwise.
I live in the US suburbs where every open speck of land gets built. Then, people complain that their pets get eaten by predictors or wild animals become roadkill. I live in a small house on a lot of undeveloped land that provides habitat. I could buy a huge house on a postage stamp lot (The American McMansion dream) but that's not me.
What this thread tells you is that the USA is broken. The rest of the world does not work like this, even in the suburbs. 🇬🇧
HOAs are racist classiest abominations and I don't get how they're legal.
Love my land without HOA restrictions. Haven't mowed my lawn this year yet and have lots of local fauna growing
I live in the burbs. I have a full woodshop in my house. I have a dedicated area in my basement to hydroponics. I can weld/grind in my garage any time of the day or night and not bother a soul. Walking distance to 3 parks, a grocery store, and a hospital. Police/fire department/ambulance presence within 3 mins if desired. Low crime rate. Big shade trees with swings and hammocks. It might not be for everyone, but don't tell me there's no appeal.
I don't know what you guys are griping about, we have plenty of green space, look at all the golf courses. Plenty of poisoned grass, and golf carts. And they even put up a playground for the kids so that the people who can't afford the fee's can use part of it. There are maybe 20-30 sticks they call trees, and NO other vegetation but well watered and poisoned turf.
Germany looks like it's doing well on the whole suburb situation tbh
For those wondering WHY it's like this in America, please look into the history of Red Lining. It shoved the poor/minorities into the cities, leaving the "American Dream" for well... a certain group. When Red Lining became illegal, the HOA(home owners associations for those that don't know) was born. A "Legal" way for a group of people to BUY a NEIGHBORHOOD and put who they wanted and ONLY who they wanted into it. Even going so far as the ability to SEIZE people's homes if they don't pay their arbitrary "fines".
Sprawling on the fringes of the city In geometric order An insulated border In-between the bright lights And the far, unlit unknown Growing up, it all seems so one-sided Opinions all provided The future pre-decided Detached and subdivided In the mass-production zone Nowhere is the dreamer Or the misfit so alone Subdivisions In the high school halls In the shopping malls Conform or be cast out Subdivisions In the basement bars In the backs of cars Be cool or be cast out Any escape might help to smooth The unattractive truth But the suburbs have no charms to soothe The restless dreams of youth Drawn like moths, we drift into the city The timeless old attraction Cruising for the action Lit up like a firefly Just to feel the living night Some will sell their dreams for small desires Or lose the race to rats Get caught in ticking traps And start to dream of somewhere To relax their restless flight Somewhere out of a memory Of lighted streets on quiet nights Subdivisions
Some will sell their dreams for small desires Or lose the race to rats Get caught in ticking traps And start to dream of somewhere To relax their restless flight
Well that was sad and true. I’m just putting in my time, got about ten, maybe 15 years left.
Keep telling me urban living is preferable to rural. I will never believe you.
Suburbia is still considered urban. Thus the “urbia.”
Load More Replies...looking at my comments, i see that i have become enraged. Apologies, fellow pandas 😔
No need to apologise, some of these are truly horrible
Load More Replies...Riddle me this: y'all buy a house in an area where everyone has at least a km2 of land around their house, but you do not plant a single tree. Just grass. Endless lawn, but not a single flower or bush. WHY?
There's plenty to be said about suburbia, mostly bad, but this post should just be relabeled "People who live differently than me and it makes me uncomfortable because I can't fathom someone who finds satisfaction outside of my own worldview."
Also important: This thread is 99.9998% b******t. Funny angles, misleading captions, incomplete construction...
Load More Replies...Why are suburbs obsessed with lawns and not gardens? Won't gardens make the place look beautiful? and why are all the housed painted the same color, I mean the houses look the same but can't the owners repaint them as per their liking? Where is the uniqueness?
If I had my way, native-only plants would be the rule. Paint whatever you want. Things that don't harm your neighbors. Different fencing styles, even! (I know someone in a local HOA just fainted.../s/)
Load More Replies...I'm an American and have lived most of my life in suburbia. I have two beagles and can't imagine them not having a fenced yard.
You can have fenced yards in rowhouses, apartments, etc.
Load More Replies...I live in the suburbs and I can assure y’all that it is not all like this, but the issue is that houses where I live cost a lot of money, so most people can’t afford to live there. And it’s such a shame because because it’s absolutely beautiful, no HOA, so many trees, the houses have so much variety. We need this but on a cheaper level
I feel the same, having lived in the suburbs my whole life. It can be beautiful, but expensive.
Load More Replies...They took all the trees Put 'em in a tree museum And they charged all the people an arm and a leg just to see 'em Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone They paved paradise put up a parking lot.
I live in a medium sized town in the uk. I have three parks within a ten minute walk, and another couple of open spaces to walk my dog. I live within 3 minutes of two different bus routes into the town centre (which is a 15/20 minute walk away), and the train station is a 10 minute walk away. I have 3 supermarkets within an easy walk away, two coffee shops and tonight I'm going to walk to a local restaurant before I go to the theatre. We have a car, but I can't drive due to my disability. I have an electric wheelchair and that allows me to live my life fully; I see friends, visit family, shop, go to the doctors and the hospital, go to the cinema, the theatre, go out for dinner or drinks all without getting in the car. I can't imagine living in the suburbs described here as I would be stuck without being able to drive.
Honestly, most things are no more than 10 or 15 minutes away by car. I guess I'm just used to driving everywhere, so it doesn't seem bad (also we don't have to carry our groceries)
Load More Replies...After living all my life in Europe I moved to Toronto for education in my 30s and rented a room in a suburb. Can't explain how I hated that lifestyle after a week. No shops, no public places, no human interaction. I had to take a bus (25 min walk to bus stop) to buy a bread. Two months later I found a room in downtown. It was more expensive but at least I felt like a living being again. It's just really depressing.
Well I actually live in one of those developments, in à small suburb town 15 miles from Paris. It's 2 U-shapes facing each other, with dead-end streets radiating inwards. Nearly 450 houses. BUT: It's right in the middle of the town (originally à village) so everything is walkable or bikable. Inside the U shapes are two private communal parks, accessible from every backyard through lanes. There are 15 different models of houses, different sizes, some flat-roofed, so ther's no cookie-cutter effect We do have the equivalent of à HOA, since we co-own the parks, and some rules, mostly about the houses' apparence (must be painted white, white or wood shutters), but they're not pests like I often read about here. My town has à very good bus system, and a train to Paris.
I'm thankful that I live within walking distance of everything. School, amenities/high street, parks etc. The train station a few mins walk away if I need to go to the office. Sky have recently completed their studio complex at the edge of town and they run electric shuttle busses to and from the studio and the high street. It's about a 30 min walk otherwise.
I live in the US suburbs where every open speck of land gets built. Then, people complain that their pets get eaten by predictors or wild animals become roadkill. I live in a small house on a lot of undeveloped land that provides habitat. I could buy a huge house on a postage stamp lot (The American McMansion dream) but that's not me.
What this thread tells you is that the USA is broken. The rest of the world does not work like this, even in the suburbs. 🇬🇧
HOAs are racist classiest abominations and I don't get how they're legal.
Love my land without HOA restrictions. Haven't mowed my lawn this year yet and have lots of local fauna growing
I live in the burbs. I have a full woodshop in my house. I have a dedicated area in my basement to hydroponics. I can weld/grind in my garage any time of the day or night and not bother a soul. Walking distance to 3 parks, a grocery store, and a hospital. Police/fire department/ambulance presence within 3 mins if desired. Low crime rate. Big shade trees with swings and hammocks. It might not be for everyone, but don't tell me there's no appeal.
I don't know what you guys are griping about, we have plenty of green space, look at all the golf courses. Plenty of poisoned grass, and golf carts. And they even put up a playground for the kids so that the people who can't afford the fee's can use part of it. There are maybe 20-30 sticks they call trees, and NO other vegetation but well watered and poisoned turf.
Germany looks like it's doing well on the whole suburb situation tbh
For those wondering WHY it's like this in America, please look into the history of Red Lining. It shoved the poor/minorities into the cities, leaving the "American Dream" for well... a certain group. When Red Lining became illegal, the HOA(home owners associations for those that don't know) was born. A "Legal" way for a group of people to BUY a NEIGHBORHOOD and put who they wanted and ONLY who they wanted into it. Even going so far as the ability to SEIZE people's homes if they don't pay their arbitrary "fines".
Sprawling on the fringes of the city In geometric order An insulated border In-between the bright lights And the far, unlit unknown Growing up, it all seems so one-sided Opinions all provided The future pre-decided Detached and subdivided In the mass-production zone Nowhere is the dreamer Or the misfit so alone Subdivisions In the high school halls In the shopping malls Conform or be cast out Subdivisions In the basement bars In the backs of cars Be cool or be cast out Any escape might help to smooth The unattractive truth But the suburbs have no charms to soothe The restless dreams of youth Drawn like moths, we drift into the city The timeless old attraction Cruising for the action Lit up like a firefly Just to feel the living night Some will sell their dreams for small desires Or lose the race to rats Get caught in ticking traps And start to dream of somewhere To relax their restless flight Somewhere out of a memory Of lighted streets on quiet nights Subdivisions
Some will sell their dreams for small desires Or lose the race to rats Get caught in ticking traps And start to dream of somewhere To relax their restless flight
Well that was sad and true. I’m just putting in my time, got about ten, maybe 15 years left.
Keep telling me urban living is preferable to rural. I will never believe you.
Suburbia is still considered urban. Thus the “urbia.”
Load More Replies...