Suburbanisation

Suburbanisation is the movement of people, employment and facilities away from the inner city towards outer urban areas. Prior to the access to public transport people lived in suburbs known as the walking city. However, the introduction of trams and suburban rail networks in the late nineteenth century and mass car ownership in the mid-twentieth century made suburban living possible. Without transport networks, suburbanisation cannot take place as the city would not be able to expand beyond the walking city. Due to the introduction of railways, development of small, suburban areas adjacent to railway stations increased and hence developed a star-shaped pattern, which is shown in the diagram below.
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Suburbs initially grew along railway lines, forming the star-shaped pattern, also referred to as the ribbon development. Then the trams and buses were introduced which allowed the suburbs to expand between the rail lines. However it was ultimately the automobile that transformed the urban landscape. Road systems allowed further infilling and extension of urban areas as people were now able to travel further from their homes more easily and comfortably.

In 1970, in the US, 37% of people lived in the suburbs and now 50%. The remaining 50% is divided between the inner city and non-metropolitan or rural areas. Due to the mass use of cars and freeways, since 1945, the rate and scale of suburban growth increased rapidly. This was a period of urban sprawl, the uncontrolled expansion of urban areas. There were many factors affecting the housing boom, including the need for more houses for the post-World War II baby boomers during the 1950s and 1960s. This resulted in the restructuring of the metropolitan economy and was led by retailing, especially of the large regional shopping centres and was closely followed by the suburbanisation of employment. This era is also marked by the growth of minicities or edge cities such as Chatswood, Penrith, Bondi