Placeless Landscape: Cookie Cutter Homes/Tract Housing
The end of WWII marked a new beginning in suburban planning and housing development. These “cookie-cutter or tract” houses as Kershner calls it are built on the foundation of mass producing homes (Kershner). Large plots of land are bought and divided into smaller subdivisions in order to build houses that are identical to each other (“Tract housing”). These types of houses are usually found around the outskirts of cities at a commutable distance. Tract housing is found domestically and globally while acting as the backbone of the suburbanization of the United States. Cookie-cutter homes started close to 80 years ago but still prevail today as the most affordable option in response to the demand of housing (Kershner).
What makes these types of neighborhoods a placeless landscape is its indistinguishable nature. Levittown, Long Island, the first cookie-cutter neighborhood which set the precedent of modern day suburbia, has an impressionable aerial view (Lee). Each house is evenly spaced away from each other, has the same lot space, the same roof, and overall the same housing structure. The individuality of these homes are stripped and the “neighborhoods take on a monotonous character” (Taylor). As people settle into adulthood they more or less have already constructed a sense of identity. They know what they like and do not like, what they want and do not want. There is no distinct marketplace or audience for the style of these cookie cutter homes. People want to be different and design the place they want to live in but these are the most affordable options which satisfy the buyer's minimum requirements. Since people keep buying, the developers will not stop producing tract houses. Its affordability makes these homes attractive although the design is lackluster.
The cheaper the cost, the better. That’s the mindset of the developers of these homes who value inexpensiveness over diversity and quality. Home builders and developers always go for the safest route which is opting for “a small number of easily modified designs that can be accurately priced and that will satisfy the desires of the largest number of people” (Taylor). When going for this option the developers can buy the same limited number of materials in bulk which saves them money. Unsurprisingly, the materials bought in bulk are low-end materials in order to save on money. The most commonly used material is OSB (oriented style board) used for wall sheathing in the construction of tract houses. OSB is extremely affordable but has its disadvantages. Importantly, “OSB is not as strong as plywood and can be damaged by moisture if not properly sealed” (Payne). Home developers opt for the most cost effective option instead of plywood, compromising the duration and quality of home for its future homeowners. Although tract housing can be seen as repetitive, expensive for its buyers, and of lesser quality, they, yet again, keep building them because no one has stopped buying them.
Due to its profitability, these housing developments have spread into other countries like Canada, England, and Australia in order to support the demand for affordable housing. In the aerial image of a housing development in Ontario, Canada there are notable similarities from that suburb to the first cookie cutter neighborhood in Levittown (“Tract housing”). All the homes have two driveways, the same architectural structure, same lot space, and are based on one of three colors, including burgundy, gray, or navy blue. Although there have been efforts to move away from cookie cutter homes to appeal the growing opposing market, its permeable spread and profitability promotes tract housing growth which in turn the rise of indistinguishable neighborhoods from state to state, and from country to country.
Works Cited
Kershner, Kate. “Why do cookie-cutter neighborhoods exist? | HowStuffWorks.” Home and Garden, 17 May 2024, https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/planning/why-cookie-cutter-neighborhoods-exist.htm. Accessed 16 October 2024.
Lee, Winnie. “The Lingering Legacy of America's First Cookie-Cutter Suburb.” Atlas Obscura, 10 July 2020, https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/levittown-new-york. Accessed 16 October 2024.
Payne, Adam. “OSB vs. Plywood: Pros, Cons, Costs and Uses.” Cut My, 8 September 2023, https://www.cutmy.co.uk/ideas-advice/plywood-vs-osb/. Accessed 16 October 2024.
“Tract housing.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tract_housing. Accessed 16 October 2024.
Taylor, Richard. "Cookie-cutter homes often tough for builders to avoid." Business First-Columbus, vol. 17, no. 16, 8 Dec. 2000, p. B16. Gale OneFile: Business, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A68161062/ITBC?u=kutztownuniv&sid=ebsco&xid=6f5accc0. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.
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