The End of Suburbia

1. What's the documentary's main claim?
America has squandered its wealth in a living arrangement that has no future. Suburban life, the American dream, will collapse due to oil depletion.

2. What's the background of the problem?
After World War II, growing number of North Americans moved to suburbia with a massive housing boom and increasing dominance of the automotive industry.

3. What reasons does the film-maker provide in support of the claim? Which reasons do you find the most convincing? Which ones are not so convincing?
1. In suburban project, car is a key factor because people live far from city. But too many cars cause traffic jams.
2. Serious energy problems because supply falls short of demand. Use of nonrenewable resource is unsustainable. (most convincing)
3. Combination of energy materials cannot substitute for petroleum and natural gas. (not so convincing)

4. What evidence does the film-maker provide in support of these reasons? Which evidence do you find the most convincing?
First, a scene of the documentary show the streets were full of cars in rush hours and people could not move at all.
Second, the price of oil was soaring. Those who live in suburbia relied heavily on abundant and cheap oil. The end of cheap oil signaled the end of their way of life. (most convincing)
Third, the blackout of east coast power grid in 2003 and recent dramatic reduction of oil reserve forecasts by Shell Oil showed the red light on the earth's fuel shortage.

5. What counter-arguments does the film-maker deal with? (You should be able to name at least 3).
First, use hydrogen to produce energy.
Second, the hidden war of Iraq indicated Amerca's aggressive attempts to secure access to the remaining reverses of oil on the planet.
Third, I am sorry I just memorized the above two points.

6. What are some of the implications of the problem? In other words, what is the cost of inaction?
Global crisis deepens because we are going to run out all the natural gas and oil. Today's suburbia will become the slum of tomorrow.

7. Does the author discuss any solutions to the problem?
Much of what we are doing is helping reduce the crisis on fossil fuel: light rail, farmers markets, bike lanes, insulating houses, keeping tight urban growth boundaries, building housing in city centers. However, there is still a long way to go.