How Frank Lloyd Wright Predicted Modern Suburbs (Broadacre City)
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Date: 2026-07-10
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Comments and reviews: 20
mulad
I saw a display of Broadacre City material at one of the FLW-designed houses in or near Oak Park, IL when visiting with family back around 2000 -- I swear it was one of the models, but maybe it was a video presentation or re-creation of some kind. I was probably a young adult when I visited, having grown up being shuttled between my hometown and a larger city several miles away multiple times a week, and that had left me with a strong distaste for low-density development. It was pretty disturbing to look at the Broadacre City concept and realize he thought it had been a good idea -- it didn't seem like he had much concept of how isolating such places could be, and how much people would be forced to drive. I spent a ton of time staring out the car window that would have been better spent in other ways.
The house I grew up in was on a 1/3-acre plot, somewhat larger than typical for my hometown, and much bigger than 1/12- to 1/8-acre you tend to see in bigger cities. But there are some exurbs around where I am which have minimum lot sizes of 2 acres -- it certainly seems a number of people took Wright pretty literally when he proposed this, or at least as an endorsement of super-low-density development that has been so typical from the mid-20th century onward.
It's remarkable how many suburbs lack anything remotely resembling a main street or downtown. I don't think Wright had any concept of how much parking would end up being built to handle car trips. Broad acres of asphalt sure don't seem as nice as this nicely landscaped ideal. Broadacre City also has a certain appeal for how ordered and grid-like it is, compared with real places that have been built with curvilinear streets (often without any need or value, just as a rejection of the grid, but it likely still would have had tons of trouble with traffic despite the low density of housing.
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I saw a display of Broadacre City material at one of the FLW-designed houses in or near Oak Park, IL when visiting with family back around 2000 -- I swear it was one of the models, but maybe it was a video presentation or re-creation of some kind. I was probably a young adult when I visited, having grown up being shuttled between my hometown and a larger city several miles away multiple times a week, and that had left me with a strong distaste for low-density development. It was pretty disturbing to look at the Broadacre City concept and realize he thought it had been a good idea -- it didn't seem like he had much concept of how isolating such places could be, and how much people would be forced to drive. I spent a ton of time staring out the car window that would have been better spent in other ways.
The house I grew up in was on a 1/3-acre plot, somewhat larger than typical for my hometown, and much bigger than 1/12- to 1/8-acre you tend to see in bigger cities. But there are some exurbs around where I am which have minimum lot sizes of 2 acres -- it certainly seems a number of people took Wright pretty literally when he proposed this, or at least as an endorsement of super-low-density development that has been so typical from the mid-20th century onward.
It's remarkable how many suburbs lack anything remotely resembling a main street or downtown. I don't think Wright had any concept of how much parking would end up being built to handle car trips. Broad acres of asphalt sure don't seem as nice as this nicely landscaped ideal. Broadacre City also has a certain appeal for how ordered and grid-like it is, compared with real places that have been built with curvilinear streets (often without any need or value, just as a rejection of the grid, but it likely still would have had tons of trouble with traffic despite the low density of housing.
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JosephAnnino76
This isn't a terrible idea for a place that is intended to remain small and relatively independent from a large urban center. There are lots of towns in New England and I am sure elsewhere that were laid out pre-car on the one acre lot self sufficient tiny farm idea, and they continue to be rather pleasant places. Lots are long and narrow, creating relatively walkable neighborhoods, and there are denser centers with apartments and shopping. The main issue is this kind of plan isn't compatible with growth, it doesn't scale, it can't work for actual cities, but for smaller more independent communities, that isn't such a problem. Those kinds of communities also are not necessarily the same thing as the exurbs of today. Reduce the size of that arterial, place a train station or even bus terminal near the central shopping area, and you have a place compact enough to encourage community life while also giving people nature, privacy, and a connection to agriculture. Wright didn't have a fully baked idea, but the interpretation of it is being colored by what actually ended up happening and all the failings there. There is a general failure to build places, having everywhere be an anywhere. That banality can strike in urban environments too, but the lower the density, the greater the ease and temptation to build a place which offers nothing of its own.
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This isn't a terrible idea for a place that is intended to remain small and relatively independent from a large urban center. There are lots of towns in New England and I am sure elsewhere that were laid out pre-car on the one acre lot self sufficient tiny farm idea, and they continue to be rather pleasant places. Lots are long and narrow, creating relatively walkable neighborhoods, and there are denser centers with apartments and shopping. The main issue is this kind of plan isn't compatible with growth, it doesn't scale, it can't work for actual cities, but for smaller more independent communities, that isn't such a problem. Those kinds of communities also are not necessarily the same thing as the exurbs of today. Reduce the size of that arterial, place a train station or even bus terminal near the central shopping area, and you have a place compact enough to encourage community life while also giving people nature, privacy, and a connection to agriculture. Wright didn't have a fully baked idea, but the interpretation of it is being colored by what actually ended up happening and all the failings there. There is a general failure to build places, having everywhere be an anywhere. That banality can strike in urban environments too, but the lower the density, the greater the ease and temptation to build a place which offers nothing of its own.
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ericwright8592
I saw the Broadacre city diorama at MoMA. It was disturbing and fascinating to see and learn about. It was obvious that it was designed at a strange place in time where things were still somewhat agrarian and shifting towards corporate jobs and car centric life. He even had truck loading docks at every house so the household farmer could add their goods to the truck as it went house to house. Everything in broadacre city is dependent on massive arterial roads. It's completely unwalkable. He even specifies no walking paths
A quote from the curator, Each citizen of the future would have all the forms of production, distribution, of self-improvement, and enjoymentall within a radius of some 150 miles of their homes.
150 miles did Wright assume cars would be moving at 100 mph Because he outlines no railroads, no streetcars, no traffic problems
It also just seems strange to assume 98% of the population in these suburbs would be essentially farmers. I suppose that's one way to achieve a more equal society.
Though he oddly outlines no slums, no scum I'm not sure I want to know what he means by that. I guess poor people can't exist in his future in which he also specifies no public ownership of private needs but also no private ownership of public needs that is painfully vague and could be twisted very easily towards corporate interests.
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I saw the Broadacre city diorama at MoMA. It was disturbing and fascinating to see and learn about. It was obvious that it was designed at a strange place in time where things were still somewhat agrarian and shifting towards corporate jobs and car centric life. He even had truck loading docks at every house so the household farmer could add their goods to the truck as it went house to house. Everything in broadacre city is dependent on massive arterial roads. It's completely unwalkable. He even specifies no walking paths
A quote from the curator, Each citizen of the future would have all the forms of production, distribution, of self-improvement, and enjoymentall within a radius of some 150 miles of their homes.
150 miles did Wright assume cars would be moving at 100 mph Because he outlines no railroads, no streetcars, no traffic problems
It also just seems strange to assume 98% of the population in these suburbs would be essentially farmers. I suppose that's one way to achieve a more equal society.
Though he oddly outlines no slums, no scum I'm not sure I want to know what he means by that. I guess poor people can't exist in his future in which he also specifies no public ownership of private needs but also no private ownership of public needs that is painfully vague and could be twisted very easily towards corporate interests.
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Alex-cw3rz
I come from a town called Bolton in Lancashire, a very wealthy soap merchant Lord Leverhulme commissioned Thomas Mawson a landacape architect to redesign the town in the early 1900s. The drawings and a couple of the essays he did for it are available online. It would have been incredible all in a city beautiful style. Lord Leverhulme would have paid for it but the town council said no and built Le Mans Crescent instead. Not all was lost as Leverhulme built a town near Liverpool called Port Sunlight for the workers of his soap factory, which is still there today it is very pretty, he got something like 30 different architects to design it so that there was visual differences throughout the town.
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I come from a town called Bolton in Lancashire, a very wealthy soap merchant Lord Leverhulme commissioned Thomas Mawson a landacape architect to redesign the town in the early 1900s. The drawings and a couple of the essays he did for it are available online. It would have been incredible all in a city beautiful style. Lord Leverhulme would have paid for it but the town council said no and built Le Mans Crescent instead. Not all was lost as Leverhulme built a town near Liverpool called Port Sunlight for the workers of his soap factory, which is still there today it is very pretty, he got something like 30 different architects to design it so that there was visual differences throughout the town.
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clintonmcbride7015
Why does is much of society shaped by profit motive and centralization of wealth, but when the histpry of architects and planners in the US is discussed, it's a series of 'great men' who influenced all of urban society to go this or that way, without mention of the predominent thoughts of capitalists of the time. Who was the source of funding for these skyscrapers and broadacres Did they not have any design specifications for these master planners and architects I want to hear more about the actual influence on these otherwise seemingly philosophical differences in design.
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Why does is much of society shaped by profit motive and centralization of wealth, but when the histpry of architects and planners in the US is discussed, it's a series of 'great men' who influenced all of urban society to go this or that way, without mention of the predominent thoughts of capitalists of the time. Who was the source of funding for these skyscrapers and broadacres Did they not have any design specifications for these master planners and architects I want to hear more about the actual influence on these otherwise seemingly philosophical differences in design.
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miles_thomas
As a follow up to this, it would be interesting to hear citybeautiful's take on the garden suburb / garden city concept in the uk (which predates FLW, including the involvement of ebeneezer howard, the daily mail model village, and how that all morphed into post ww2 new towns including thamesmead (clockwork orange) and several others, then milton keynes, and modern placemaking in the uk (eg docklands redevelopment, major new builds like brent cross west, meridian water, beam park, etc)
(Fyi the dursley house in harry potter is a real house in Hampstead garden suburb)
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As a follow up to this, it would be interesting to hear citybeautiful's take on the garden suburb / garden city concept in the uk (which predates FLW, including the involvement of ebeneezer howard, the daily mail model village, and how that all morphed into post ww2 new towns including thamesmead (clockwork orange) and several others, then milton keynes, and modern placemaking in the uk (eg docklands redevelopment, major new builds like brent cross west, meridian water, beam park, etc)
(Fyi the dursley house in harry potter is a real house in Hampstead garden suburb)
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JordanFreshour
I wish more people would see car dependency’ is a propaganda term put on by parties concerned with consolidating global energy networks. Having a car means you are able to do a thousand things you couldn’t before. Not having one makes you more dependent on centralized networks instead of pursuing the best life you can. You can have a bike. Have two. It’s not an exclusive choice. Redesigning the entire nation’s infrastructure because of mistakes politicians made in the 50s and 60s is dumb. Just makes today’s crony contractors filthy rich.
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I wish more people would see car dependency’ is a propaganda term put on by parties concerned with consolidating global energy networks. Having a car means you are able to do a thousand things you couldn’t before. Not having one makes you more dependent on centralized networks instead of pursuing the best life you can. You can have a bike. Have two. It’s not an exclusive choice. Redesigning the entire nation’s infrastructure because of mistakes politicians made in the 50s and 60s is dumb. Just makes today’s crony contractors filthy rich.
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Rahshu
Sometimes it feels like all the visionary planners who managed to get their way are incredibly antisocial and despise walking. What was with this obsession of atomizing people, as if we weren't a social species I know that's a broad brush stroke, but it is something I've noticed. It's like they didn't appreciate the very things that make towns and cities wonderful places. Instead of just moving to the country themselves and living a quiet life, they insisted on making everyone live their vision.
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Sometimes it feels like all the visionary planners who managed to get their way are incredibly antisocial and despise walking. What was with this obsession of atomizing people, as if we weren't a social species I know that's a broad brush stroke, but it is something I've noticed. It's like they didn't appreciate the very things that make towns and cities wonderful places. Instead of just moving to the country themselves and living a quiet life, they insisted on making everyone live their vision.
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alexsmith-ob3lu
Thanks for sharing some of the history of our modernist (garbage) architecture.
What Frank Lloyd Wright forgot to take into account are his unknown variables. Steel rolling stock on steel tracks create very little friction and have enormous carrying capacity for people and freight (trains, subways and streetcars. He also forgot that people are complex and not complicated. You need far more housing, third places, amenities, transport options and other stuff for cities/suburbs.
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Thanks for sharing some of the history of our modernist (garbage) architecture.
What Frank Lloyd Wright forgot to take into account are his unknown variables. Steel rolling stock on steel tracks create very little friction and have enormous carrying capacity for people and freight (trains, subways and streetcars. He also forgot that people are complex and not complicated. You need far more housing, third places, amenities, transport options and other stuff for cities/suburbs.
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MichaelBennett000
saying suburbs are close to nature is like saying drinks are hot it can be true, or false, and your default understanding depends on your experience
example: my suburban London home has more access to trails/parks/nature than my mom’s home in rural canada
sure my mom lives in a forest but kind of the same way a fish in an aquarium lives in the room housing the aquarium
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saying suburbs are close to nature is like saying drinks are hot it can be true, or false, and your default understanding depends on your experience
example: my suburban London home has more access to trails/parks/nature than my mom’s home in rural canada
sure my mom lives in a forest but kind of the same way a fish in an aquarium lives in the room housing the aquarium
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nco_gets_it
city planning is a BS term tyrants use to control the lives of the working and middle classes to conform to their visions of cosmic justice. In other words, a buzz term used to hide their agenda to plant people into high density, low value communities (another BS term) to keep the peasants in their place.
The government does not own the land. If it does, that needs to be ended.
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city planning is a BS term tyrants use to control the lives of the working and middle classes to conform to their visions of cosmic justice. In other words, a buzz term used to hide their agenda to plant people into high density, low value communities (another BS term) to keep the peasants in their place.
The government does not own the land. If it does, that needs to be ended.
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GilTheDragon
The. draw from architecture to city planning is almost intuitive, as one conceptualizes the movement of people through the building one reckons the pulses of life through those OTHER spaces. Frank's city seems, to us, like those conceptualized houses where the bedroom is the kitchen (as their use is mutually exclusive) and there's toilets in the solarium (to aid digestion)
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The. draw from architecture to city planning is almost intuitive, as one conceptualizes the movement of people through the building one reckons the pulses of life through those OTHER spaces. Frank's city seems, to us, like those conceptualized houses where the bedroom is the kitchen (as their use is mutually exclusive) and there's toilets in the solarium (to aid digestion)
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MTBSPD
My most interesting class in grad school was an urban design class which was half architecture students and half planners. It was interesting how the architecture students (including myself) did a lot of perspective sketches about what various street scenes and public open spaces would look like, and the planners did lots of diagrams about circulation patterns, land uses, etc.
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My most interesting class in grad school was an urban design class which was half architecture students and half planners. It was interesting how the architecture students (including myself) did a lot of perspective sketches about what various street scenes and public open spaces would look like, and the planners did lots of diagrams about circulation patterns, land uses, etc.
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adampagano5361
One of the arguments I saw against suburbs is infrastructure maintenance costs: having massive sprawl stretches infrastructure like gas, water, waste, and other things way further than the urban designs. All of these things have limited lifespans and require upkeep at some point. Urban designs have much denser populations and thus lower maintenance costs on the city.
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One of the arguments I saw against suburbs is infrastructure maintenance costs: having massive sprawl stretches infrastructure like gas, water, waste, and other things way further than the urban designs. All of these things have limited lifespans and require upkeep at some point. Urban designs have much denser populations and thus lower maintenance costs on the city.
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Salsmachev
I would say that an urban planner is utopian if they believe that changes to urban planning can change the material relations of society. You're never going to get socialism (or any other radically different societal structure) by building different city plans; you need to address the material class relations first and let the plans follow from there.
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I would say that an urban planner is utopian if they believe that changes to urban planning can change the material relations of society. You're never going to get socialism (or any other radically different societal structure) by building different city plans; you need to address the material class relations first and let the plans follow from there.
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Pystro
1 acre per household is such a weird amount. Currently each inhabitant of the US is fed by 3. 1 acres; i. e. 13 acres per family of 4. 2. And that's with industrialized agriculture. 1 acre is definitely not enough to supply all of a household's food, but also waaay generous for simply supplementing store-bought staple foods with fresh seasonal produce.
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1 acre per household is such a weird amount. Currently each inhabitant of the US is fed by 3. 1 acres; i. e. 13 acres per family of 4. 2. And that's with industrialized agriculture. 1 acre is definitely not enough to supply all of a household's food, but also waaay generous for simply supplementing store-bought staple foods with fresh seasonal produce.
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nullifye7816
I do broadly agree with him that ownership of a productive small mini-farm is more or less universally desirable, at least for men. More desirable than any other type of living for all people Able to replace the city with its central square that places the most important things in the middle, towering into the sky No, I don't think so.
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I do broadly agree with him that ownership of a productive small mini-farm is more or less universally desirable, at least for men. More desirable than any other type of living for all people Able to replace the city with its central square that places the most important things in the middle, towering into the sky No, I don't think so.
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JoshuaFagan
I had a wonderful class in college where we talked about the history of architecture, and there was a lesson that paired Wright's Broadacre City with Corbusier's Radiant City idea. It's interesting that their ideas were in some ways completely opposite but both still venerated the automobile and very rigid land use separations.
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I had a wonderful class in college where we talked about the history of architecture, and there was a lesson that paired Wright's Broadacre City with Corbusier's Radiant City idea. It's interesting that their ideas were in some ways completely opposite but both still venerated the automobile and very rigid land use separations.
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GoranXII
Honestly, I think too many cities are designed by 'planners', and not enough by the people who will either live there, or have to maintain them. Honestly, every city panning committee should have at least one grandmother (to account for the needs of the elderly, pregnant women, and children, and one drainage engineer.
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Honestly, I think too many cities are designed by 'planners', and not enough by the people who will either live there, or have to maintain them. Honestly, every city panning committee should have at least one grandmother (to account for the needs of the elderly, pregnant women, and children, and one drainage engineer.
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city_beautiful
The suburbs are the worst of both worlds: all the isolation and car-dependency of the rural area, but with all the traffic noise and congestion of the city. I'm glad I live in Midtown and never have to deal with the traffic that suburbanites have just accepted as part of their daily routine.
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The suburbs are the worst of both worlds: all the isolation and car-dependency of the rural area, but with all the traffic noise and congestion of the city. I'm glad I live in Midtown and never have to deal with the traffic that suburbanites have just accepted as part of their daily routine.
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