American Wanderlust
Wanderlust [image] is a strong element in American society. Early American settlers were willing to risk everything to move to a new place. Some settled along the coastline,[image] while other countries began exploring the interior of the country. As the vastness of the continent became increasingly obvious, settlers began setting out from the coasts and exploring the interior. The myth of the Oregon trail and the Wild West inspired adoration and an iconic status in the history and culture of the
As the country expanded, methods of connecting the far-separated network of cities became huge civic projects rivaling the roads and aqueducts of
But it wasn’t until the invention of the automobile that the North American continent truly opened up to exploration by the larger population. In the early days of the auto it was a specialty item, but Ford’s mass production of the Model T [image] provided the common man an unprecedented access to the American landscape… except that the infrastructure couldn’t handle the increased load. Roads were mostly unpaved, the vestiges of wagon trails and paths. Localized organizations in
The American Association of State Highway Officials was formed in 1924 to address this issue and create a unified highway system. They enabled the standardization of road building and eventually pushed through the Interstate Highway Act of 1956. Inspired by the German autobahn, this act was specifically directed at the standardization of the numbering and naming system of the interstate highway system and encouraged the building of divided highways. Twenty-five billion dollars was allocated for the development of the highway system. Though Eisenhower’s reasons for supporting the building of the system were motivated by military movement and defense, the results allowed the American motorist to travel easily throughout the
The new system also helped spur in the tourism boom of the 50s and 60s, often termed the “second discovery of
Along the highways, roadside stands gave way to gas stations which gave way to service stations which gave way to elaborate full service complexes and eventually towns that relied on the flow of traffic. Seasonal towns started popping up in between tourist destinations that would fill up during peak travel seasons to take advantage of the motorists on holiday.
As the tourist boom was occurring, the urban environment was shifting away from the cities. The diasporas that traditionally made people escape to a different city or region became more localized. The development of the suburban development necessitated a car for transportation too and from the urban centers that were still the primary center of commerce. The American automobile industry was booming as millions of Americans responded to the desire, and eventually the need, for a high level of personal mobility.
Changes in the global economy have also necessitated an increase in travel and relocation for economic reasons. Americans are finding it easier and more beneficial to move to a new, and possible far removed, location for a new job opportunity than to seek more gainful employment within their existing context. This has become a personification of the concept of American “upward mobility” that was a driving force of the suburban movement and the economic development of the 20th century. The desire to move to something bigger and better has been a major motivation for movement and relocation.
And yet despite technological advances and the boom of the “telecommuter” (upwards of 32 million in 2001[1]), the American wanderlust has not substantially diminished. This suggests that the novelty of the new place is a major consideration for a move. One of the most frequently cited reasons for moving, closely following economic factors, is the search for a new and better neighborhood.[2] Perhaps because of the lack of coherent community structures in many cities and suburbs has left Americans searching constantly for more, but evidence suggests that extremely localized, even associations between neighbors, can be a factor that leads to dissatisfaction even in areas with a strong community structure.[3]
In fact, the need to be able to escape stressful living conditions due to neighbors, crime or other factors is a major impetus for movement. The importance of the individual and the attainment of personal happiness takes precedent over the common good. Even social networking and community organizations are often developed with the goals of both personal growth as well as community growth in mind. When the community or network fails or is becoming difficult to maintain a place within, the easiest solution is often to move.
Proposals for dealing with highly mobile individuals are often targeted at the individual. The facilitators of personal mobility from the automobile to the RV are designed for the individual and are fit into existing community infrastructures as unobtrusively as possible. But the interactions between people are not being facilitated in a way that addresses the transience of the populations, which is unfortunate in a culture where involvement in social, political and community elements is declining rapidly.
“In the mid-1970s the average American attended some club meeting every month, by 1998 that rate of attendance had been cut by nearly 60 per cent… In 1975 the average American entertained friends at home 15 times per year; the equivalent figure (1998) is now barely half that. Virtually all leisure activities that involve doing something with someone else, from playing volleyball to playing chamber music, are declining.”[4]
The American wanderlust has...
Starbucks did it.
Highway system: travel and national defense
posted by Heather at 11:14 PM
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