To the Point
The Changing Suburban Landscape
The key to the American dream has been your own key to a home in the suburbs, with a car in the driveway and a back yard. Now, fewer people have or want that dream.
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenThe key to the American dream has been your own key to a home in the suburbs, with a car in the driveway and a back yard. Now, fewer people have or want that dream. Guest host Madeleine Brand looks at what's driving people out of the suburbs. Also, President Obama cancels his meeting with Russian President Putin, and how a persistent drought is permanently changing the landscape in the West.
Banner image: Suburban middle class neighborhood in Layton, Utah. Photo: D Sharon Pruitt
In this episode
3 storiesPresident Obama Cancels Meeting with Putin
President Obama cancelled a planned meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladmir Putin today. This follows Russia's decision to grant temporary asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden, after he spent nearly a month in diplomatic limbo in Russia's airport.
Read the story8 minThe Decline of Suburbia
For more than 50 years, Americans were drawn to the suburbs, with their sylvan promises of easy living. Owning your own home with a car in the driveway and piece of lawn was seen as central to the American dream. But the latest census numbers show a reverse migration into the cities.
Read the story37 minWestern States in Drought, New Mexico Is Worst
Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming- all are experiencing drought, but New Mexico has been hit the hardest. The last three years have been the driest and warmest on record. New Mexico's water storage in reservoirs is just 17 percent of normal levels, and some people have to live on trucked-in water.
Read the story6 min
