Olympus High School Class of 2000 Alumni Website

I was fortunate enough to walk to work through the quiet streets while everything was muffled in fresh snow, giving me a perfect environment to fall deep into my thoughts. I compared the old suburb of Sugarhouse to the suburbs that we design today. By ‘we’ I mean myself, the architecture firm I work for, developers and other people in the industry. We try so hard to create quality homes and neighborhoods that are affordable, and profitable, but ironically do the opposite of what has already been shown to work.

I want compare Sugarhouse to the suburb’s that are created today.

1. We block connections. Sugarhouse creates connections.

Today’s suburbs are deathly afraid of strange vehicles wandering onto their project. Only the bare minimum connections to the outside world are allowed (2). Sugarhouse has no cul-de-sacs or dead end streets. People can drive and walk any direction the please, and they do. It is great.

2. We predetermine personality. Sugarhouse expresses it’s own personality.

Most new suburbs predetermine their style and are fearful of any single person breaking the original ‘theme’ or ‘built in personality’. What is beautiful about Sugarhouse is it’s eclectic nature. During Sugarhouse’s creation there were cookie cutter homes placed on miles upon miles of land and every home owner is allowed to change the homes appearance to their own desire. Neighborhoods need to be able to express themselves.

3. We create quasi public homes. Sugarhouse created private homes.

One thing that is great about old subdivisions is that land is divided and sold. Owners get their land. We create PUD’s (Planned Unit Development) which basically means you own the inside of your home and a HOA manages the rest. This is great if you don’t want to take care or participate in any yard work. However it comes with additional private taxes and fees. It creates an additional level of bureaucracy. PUD’s have signs at their gates which encourage a sense of ‘us’ versus ‘them’, a mentality that often generates mistrust and misunderstanding of others. PUD’s remove a sense of ownership and personal responsibility. PUD’s are not a part of the community, they are a removal from it.

4. We build garages. Sugarhouse built homes.

New suburb streets are lined with garage doors and little else. Most Sugarhouse homes have detached garages hidden in the back, or no garage at all. People would probably vote for a Sugarhouse in a beauty contest but buy into an ugly street full of garages. Funny how people don’t realize they prefer ugly convenience over beautiful homes.

5. We make streets for cars. Sugarhouse made streets for people.

Drive down any neighborhood street in Sugarhouse and you would probably feel like it’s too small. You drive slow and cautious. It’s safe for the residents. Drive down a new subdivision and the roads are probably wide with big round curves. You’ll probably drive faster and pay less attention. It’s not safe for the residents but it’s convenient for the cars.

6. We cut the bottom line for bigger profits. Sugarhouse built their homes to last.

It is expensive to built homes and developers need to make money. Several years back I bought into a brand new condo development. Within a few years, all the shortcuts and discounted building materials started wearing out and it continually costs the condo owners money. Developers get to walk away with the money and take no responsibility for the quality of their product. The home I recently purchased in Sugarhouse is nearly 100 years old. The inspector says it easily has 50 more years in it. Will modern cheep homes last this long? Only time will tell.

The past few years I’ve really critiqued the neighborhoods that I am in. I would say that rarely a great neighborhood has been built in several decades.