Car-dependent suburbs suck. But that doesn't mean that all suburbs suck. It is possible to build suburbs that don't suck, and the US and Canada used to design great suburbs all the time. But even though these pre-war suburbs are loved by many people, and in huge demand, they're illegal to build today.

Places like Troy [New York] used to be lily-white, and most of their police departments still are. That’s a problem for the black and brown people moving from big cities like LA and New York in search of quieter places to raise families. By Albert Samaha.

Once the key driver of the American dream, the suburbs have reached the end of a long era of cheap growth. Now their advantages to economic mobility have nearly disappeared. By Richard Florida.