The typical residential subdivisions that define much of the housing supply in the U.S. have drawn persistent criticism from architects and planners. Suburban sprawl has contributed to car dependency, social atomization, and an affordability crisis fueled by land speculation and debt. While urban co-ops and rural utopian communities have attempted to address some of these structural issues, “suburbia” remains deeply tied to conventional forms of ownership, use, and consumption. Subversive Suburbs argues for the adaptation of suburbs into sites that resist, rather than reinforce, these socioeconomic norms. Using post-wildfire Altadena as a case study, this proposal for a Community Land Trust (CLT) and affiliated incentives retains the area’s suburban character while supporting more resilient, collective lifestyles. The envisioned Altadena Land Trust Alliance (ALTA) offers residents who lost their homes the opportunity to convert their land titles into shares in a new housing cooperative that gradually but efficiently redevelops the neighborhood. ALTA incentivizes collectivization by allowing members to build under a new zoning framework, adding a variety of shared infrastructure and amenities without sacrificing affordability. The project thus subverts both the formal and economic logic of suburban development, creating an alternative vision for the future of this contested typology.
SUBVERSIVE SUBURBS: Join the Altadena Land Trust Alliance
