THE SUBURBANATORS

Urban researcher [John G. McGeady] has looked carefully under the surface of suburban life and his findings are worrisome. Residents of suburban environments, he reports, are noticeably less engaged in civic life and have a weaker sense of community than their counterparts in the city. Fewer suburbanites are members of neighbourhood- and community-based associations, or non-partisan civic organizations, or even service and fraternal clubs. They are less likely to talk regularly to their neighbours, trust people, value co-operation or support public goods.(1)