Clutter Rules Southern California
“Middle class families in Southern
California don’t live the way you might expect,” said Jeanne Arnold,
a UCLA professor of anthropology.
“Middle class families in Southern California
don’t live the way you might expect,” said Jeanne Arnold, a UCLA
professor of anthropology. “Most parents in dual-income families never
spend leisure time in their yards, their children play outside much less than
expected and most cars can’t fit in garages because they’re too full of clutter from the
house.”
“From construction materials to excess furniture and toys, storage of material goods has become an overwhelming burden for most middle-class families,” said Arnold. “We found items blocking driveways, cluttering backyard corners and spilling out of garages,” said Ursula Lang, a study co-author.
“Most kids’ play in the front is on asphalt driveways, streets or concrete sidewalks,” Arnold said. “There were only a few instance of play with tree-swings or bats and balls that carried onto the front lawns. Indeed, the manicured lawns and formally landscaped areas in front of quite a few of the houses seem to actively discourage play and other rambunctious activity. They seemed to invite passersby to admire the owner’s good taste and conformity with neighborhood ideals.”
Sounds like a few cities and suburbs I’ve lived in. Nowadays, my home is in a rural setting surrounded by neighbors who mostly work construction trades and are owner-builders — we’re more likely to have landscaping that looks suspiciously like an old pickup truck.
But, uh, what does your neighborhood look like? Using your garage space for motor vehicles — or cardboard boxes?
“From construction materials to excess furniture and toys, storage of material goods has become an overwhelming burden for most middle-class families,” said Arnold. “We found items blocking driveways, cluttering backyard corners and spilling out of garages,” said Ursula Lang, a study co-author.
“Most kids’ play in the front is on asphalt driveways, streets or concrete sidewalks,” Arnold said. “There were only a few instance of play with tree-swings or bats and balls that carried onto the front lawns. Indeed, the manicured lawns and formally landscaped areas in front of quite a few of the houses seem to actively discourage play and other rambunctious activity. They seemed to invite passersby to admire the owner’s good taste and conformity with neighborhood ideals.”
Sounds like a few cities and suburbs I’ve lived in. Nowadays, my home is in a rural setting surrounded by neighbors who mostly work construction trades and are owner-builders — we’re more likely to have landscaping that looks suspiciously like an old pickup truck.
But, uh, what does your neighborhood look like? Using your garage space for motor vehicles — or cardboard boxes?
Posted: Tue - February 27, 2007 at 08:49 AM