Suburbia, The American Dream, and the Adirondack Park

     David Zweig of the New York Times published an article this week entitled "Escape from Brooklyn" where he discussed his and his family's transition from living in the neighborhood of Prospect Heights to finding their new community in suburban New York. Zweig details the many reasons that necessitated the move to suburbia. Hardly anyone can blame him for wanting a quiet place for his children to sleep and decent public schools for them to attend. Terms such as these have been provided by thousands of once-urban couples over the years as reasons for fleeing streets lined with skyscrapers. This classic transition  from suburban to urban life and back again all in the course of an individual's life is so entrenched in urban, particularly New York, lifestyles that in understanding this trend we can gain some perspective on why the Adirondack Park is so integral to the history of 20th century New York.

Prospect Heights brownstones, the neighborhood 

Zweig and his family moved from.

     Constantly criticized for being quick to alienate and dull the individual, New York City is perhaps the most unique of American cities. Historically, the city has always been presented as a gateway to the American experience. But, with a population of over 8 million, it is simply no longer feasible to assume that every New Yorker's sidewalks will be paved with gold. I am not saying that NYC has ever been a bastion of prosperity for everyone, but I am saying that the resources that are available in the city are now being shared with the most people they ever have been. This competitive attitude is difficult to sustain for many, leading to the classic perception of city residents to be forever caught in the so-called "Rat-Race".
     Having never had the opportunity to live in the city in question, I understand that my outsider perspective contributes heavily to my interest in this quintessential urban lifestyle. This is why I found Zweig's article so interesting. For me, the movement from the urban center represents the continuing human struggle to find the resources that are best for their well being. This article also suggests that there is a pattern to the American lifestyle, a stint in an urban apartment with a growing family being only part of the larger picture. For this American lifestyle to perpetuate, there must be sizable tracts of non-urban landscapes for individuals to inhabit.

Map showing the land Classifications within the Adirondack Park

     The approximate 3 million acres of privately owned land within the Blue Line is partially being used for this purpose. To ignore the need for rural or suburban areas for inhabitation to continue to fuel this American Dream of idyllic suburban childhood, electric urban adulthood, and scenic rural retirement is in direct conflict with the perpetuation of the idealized "American Dream". For me, Zweig's article indicates both that the constructs of old-school Americana are not so easily erased and that if society is to maintain this image of an America of freedom, there must be a variety of housing options available to a wide range of American residents.

Kiwassa Lake Home on the market for $3,500,000: A bastion of the "American Dream"?

     This concept of humans having a right to inhabit any type o environment that they choose may not be the most ethically sound behavior, but it is an inherently American attitude. So, in the name of consistency, the current public-private balance within the Adirondack Park makes sense. Ecologically, this is concerning for many who are invested in the concepts of conservation and preservation. However, as the behavior I have been describing has been around for generations, I am hesitant to predict that the path that countless individuals such as Zweig have placed themselves on will be changing anytime soon. Here in lies one of the most challenging aspects of realistically enacting the necessary cultural shifts that will need to take place in the name of a greener future.

Works Cited
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/realestate/escape-from-brooklyn.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=1
http://www.census.gov/popest/about/terms.html
http://st2.depositphotos.com/1587911/6029/i/950/depositphotos_60296321-Famous-New-York-City-brownstones-in-Prospect-Heights-neighborhood-in-Brooklyn.jpg
http://www.protectadks.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/PROTECT-Map-2013ConservationEasements.gif
http://www.adkpp.com/sites/default/files/styles/listing_image/public/listings/kiwassa-lake-home/kiwassa-lake-home_4.jpg?itok=RX6fZstP