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!
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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
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)
Every City Council Discussion
Public School In Ontario, Canada That Can't Legally Be Walked Or Biked To. (Those Signs Are "No Pedestrian" Signs)
It's a rural school. And specifically on Route 115, which maxes speeds to 90km/h. I don't know if I'd want to walk or bike on a route like that or have kids do that.
Tried To Relax On The Back Porch A While Ago. All I Could Hear Was The Sound Of Lawnmowers
Honestly, I'd rather wake up early to a lawnmower, than be kept up late by the sound of my neighbors f*cking :/
“This City Should Not Exist. It Is A Monument To Man’s Arrogance.”
Tulsa, Oklahoma Urban Decay
Tulsa has been getting better at urban development, focusing on downtown living and businesses, as well as useable green spaces. Also remember that Tulsa is very hot and humid during the spring and summer, so a lot of greenspaces turn brown, so they don't look that great lol. Don't get me wrong, the suburban sprawl is very real there, but there is a renewed focus on downtown!
This Is Levittown, The First American-Style Suburb, Built By William Levitt On Long Island, NY. It Was "Whites Only." It Was Built In 1947, And Served As A Direct Model For Future American Suburbs
If this was UK it would now have six times as many houses, all "detached" of course (ie room enough to walk sideways between them)
I Have To Wait Two Hours At School After My Last Class Just So I Can Take An Hour And A Half School Bus Ride (Green) To Get Home Every Day Because I Can’t Afford A Car
I don't understand. Why is the school in the middle of nowhere instead of near the houses where people actually live? You know the people who actually need the school? Haven't those city planners ever played sim city or Anno? You build the necessities always near the residential areas
Development In Utah
R. Crumb's Suburbanhell Prophecy, 1979
When Spongebob Perfectly Mocked Suburban Life
What Is It About The Suburbs That Makes People This Way?
Fun Fact: There Isn't A Single Store Or Restaurant In This Image
Most Depressing Dog Park In Existence?
Frisco, Tx. With All The Personality Of Unseasoned, Boiled Skinless Chicken
What really blows my mind is that the weird zoning laws would not even allow for a little shop around the corner to exists. Nothing commercial. You simply cannot walk around the corner to get some groceries. Or go to the doctor's. Here in my city in Germany we have mixed zoning. So you have a residential area but some appartments are offices. Like lawyers, doctors, well everything you might need once in awhile.
Cars Make Sensible Land-Use Impossible
Thought This Belonged Here
Lmfao she's famous bc she popped out 6 kids at once (ivf) and wanted the world to hand her everything bc her life was so hard. Even her husband left her and had to fight to see the kids bc she's so controlling and a PITA. Took advantage of the churches free help bc it wasn't what she wanted, done her way, wasn't brand new stuff or free childcare. She's from Pennsylvania and was raised in a trailer park. Kate gosslin ur the original karen
Overpriced Average Urban City. Vancouver, Canada
Kansas City Before And After
One Of Suburbia's Biggest Problems, In A Nutshell
this. i live in downtown Denver. Earlier this year, i got in an accident on my way to my Dr appointment several miles away. We had given away our second car when we moved downtown, so our only car was out of commission for a while. It is SHOCKING how much time people must spend on public transport when in urban sprawl. And so, poverty takes more than just ability to save, it also takes so much time. (The bus system in many US cities is overwhelmingly used by people who cannot afford (or cannot drive) a car.
Realistic Parking Lots Were Briefly Considered For Simcity
I Wonder
What you can't see are the 8 foot "privacy fences" running along the borders of those neighborhoods. Can't see in, can't walk in, can't bike in. "Mom, can I go ride my bike to Dan's house?" "No, sweety. Even though he lives .03 miles away, you would have to ride your bike 4 miles to get there, crossing 18 intersections, some of which are controlled, some of which aren't."
Copy, Paste. Copy, Paste. Copy, Paste. Copy, Paste. Davenport, Fl
Our Lovely Hoa Dog Park—no Shade, No Turf, Just Gravel And Rocks
Most Common Means Of Transportation To Work By County. [usa] Acs Survey
Glad I Dont Live In A Place Like This
Took This Flying Into Dfw Yesterday. Imagine The Poor Children Who Have To Grow Up In This Endless Labyrinth Of Concrete Roads And Fences
I believe this is Dallas/Fort Worth in case you were wondering what DFW means.
The United States
Suburbanites: "Apartment Blocks Alienate You From Nature!" Meanwhile Soviet Apartment Blocks:
Look at this. Look. At. This. I grew up in a Soviet Housing block just like this, surrounded by nature. When i was little, i would run and play in the forest, and look at the animals in the pond, and creep around the bushes and play in the trees. Hell, my username is “ForestKing” for a reason. I grew up more connected to nature than an American kid living in a suburban hellscape will ever be. Suburban hellscape creates more suburban hellscape, cos kids who grew up with only a lawn won’t bat an eye when it comes to tearing it all down.
A Sterile Wasteland Where Kids Have To Bike To Their Bus Stop
Anon Goes To NYC
Did You Know On Average, A Mowed Lawn Results In 6 Times More Carbon Emissions Than It Can Capture?
A Different Kind Of Suburban Hell. Dubai, UAE
Oh Ok
Building The Missing Middle Does Not Cause Overcrowding. Banning It Is What Causes Overcrowding
Effingham, Il
Colour? Never Heard Of It. - Ottawa
California: We're In A Drought! Also California:
I See Your "Garages With Houses Attached" And Raise You "Garages With Daylight-Free Warehouses Attached" (Screenshot From Latest Njb)
I Can't Tell How Many Times I've Heard This "Argument"
Funny how n Europe the most expensive residential areas are mostly in the city center.
One Of The Final, Natural Green Spaces In Tomball, Tx Has Been Completely Flattened For A Macy's Distribution Center
Rio Verde, A Retirement Community 40 Miles Outside Of Phoenix. It Will Stop Receiving Water Truck Deliveries By 2023 Due To The Colorado River Drought
Did no one stop and think for a second that if they need water delivered by truck, then perhaps they shouldn't build there?
Houston’s Low-Density Sprawl Put Into Perspective
Imagine How Much Time We Waste Doing That
You're Not From The City You're From The Suburbs
Wide Open West Texas—paved Over For Suburban Hell
Such A Wasteful Use Of Space
Why Don’t You Just Go “Outside?”
Stroads: The Greatest Misallocation Of Resources In Human History
Housing Development In A Phoenix Suburb. What Water Crisis?
I don't really see a future for city like that. There won't be enough water to sustain Phoenix
(UK) An Island Of Fast Food Restaurants Surrounded By A Sea Of Lanes
The Cost Of Your "Own" Patch Of Grass
Ideally Situated…??
UK Suburban Hell
Yuma, Arizona (From Google Maps)
When You Spend Thousands On Lawn Care But Don't Even Go Outside
I can't live somewhere I can't plant trees. My yard is filled with trees, too many sometimes but I prefer that to lawn any day. I've got all sorts of fruit and flowering trees. Just this morning there was a snake in my yard...I don't like them but I'm also happy they have somewhere to live.
How Much Space Parking Takes Up For A Suburban Main Street In Florida
The Color Of Law
And People Wonder Why Its One Of The Most Expensive Cities In The Country
I spent a week in SF in 2005 and where I was didn't look anything like this
"Welcome To The Suburbs" Starter Pack
This Is No Place Of Honor
I loled. This is a reference to long term nuclear waste messages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_nuclear_waste_warning_messages
You Know, I Get These Aren't Pretty, But This Karen "Apartments Are Bad" Mindset Is Why We're Stuck With Suburban Sprawl In This Country
Does she know that you can actually own an apartment? Well, her name is Lady Maga, so probably not
Dfw Is One Of The Worst Suburban Hells, 300 Sq. Mi (Larger Than Singapore) Of Non-Stop Single-Family Mc Mansions That Only Take A Break For Highways. Lived There For 5 Years, Loathed It But Only Realized What Was Wrong With It After Discovering "Notjustbikes" Videos On Yt
I live in Singapore. To put this into perspective, we have 5.5 Million people in population. That’s larger than Los Angeles. Almost twice as large, in fact. Our space is 743.4 square km. Indianapolis, the Capital of Indians, is roughly 952.9 sq km. Indianapolis’s population is only 882,000. Suburban sprawl is an actual hellscape.
I Hate It Here
The American Dream
FYI they're lining up for a food bank. They can't sell their cars because they're trapped without them.
Guys Bad Suburban Planning Is Ok Because Even Worse Housing Exists In Latin America!!!
This is life in the desert. People here are actually doing the environmentally correct thing, and choosing small stones instead of grass, because the grass uses up so much water.
My GF Just Sent Me This Pic Of Her Cousin‘S Newly Cemented Back Yard. Taking Bets On How Long The Tree Will Last
He will learn the hard way after some heavy rain, that sealing off the ground will have not desirable consequences. Trees need to have an open space at least the size of the crown. But it is already poisoned by the cement acid, so better take it down before an accident happens. And better stock up on savings for medical bills. A kid taking a smack from that trampoline will need more care than a good hug
Car-Dependent Suburb Starter Pack
To be fair I sped, drank alone and had no public transit when I lived out in the mountains too
Living The Dream – Desert Burbs Edition
The Entire R/Lawncare Sub
people don’t seem to understand literally how AWFUL for the environment having a lawn is.
I Don't Think Suburbs Are Any Better For People In Their 30s Either, And Nor Are They Good For Teenagers
No Irony
Sprawl Between Two Nearby Spanish Cities, Over A Month To Get There, Smh
Why is this even here BP? This is so dumb for a few reasons... This is nothing to do with urban sprawl, it's due to geography and geology. Ceuta is a Spanish city/territory in Morocco within Africa, it is literally on another continent, separated from the European Spanish mainland by a sea. It might take over a month to get there over land via the Middle East but not many people would ever do that when the ferry takes just an hour.
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...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...