The spread of low-density housing Contemporary mythology, urban ideal, social contract, industrial organization, capitalist morals and democratic idealism
The explosion in low-density housing after the Second World War revolutionized the urban landscape of North America. The trend spread so rapidly and was adopted with such enthusiasm that it clearly touched a fundamental nerve in the nature of contemporary culture. While low-density housing is now coming under fire from numerous quarters, detached dwellings are still a prevalent choice, raising once again the question of why. In this context it seems important to examine the personal commitment required in taking out a mortgage, a necessary prerequisite for most North Americans wishing to acquire a detached house. It is significant that the development of the twentieth-century institution (ou this study demonstrates) that the personal commitment required in borrowing money is not merely a technical necessity linked to how an economic mechanism functions, but rather the manifestation of a passion that still strongly shapes the way Canadians and Americans inhabit and organize space.