Home Ownership and Cold War Fears in 1950s

URBAN PATTERNS
Home Ownership and Cold War Fears in 1950s
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During the Fifties, there was cold war between the communist communities and the capitalist nations. These nations saw each other as great rivals and the fear conflict was of looming. However, due to some factors, this rivalry did not erupt into a full fledged war. It just stayed as cold war. Cold war is the war which does not involve real combat or open confrontation. At this time Americans wanted to find ways of being united so as to subvert the enemy should real war from their enemies emerge. In the Fifties, an increment of residential housing and the suburbs was a phenomenon among the Americans. Bill Levitt had developed classic suburbs using low cost resources. This had ensured that people were united and that the houses were secure if war broke out. Levitts` suburbs development appeared to be the point of American had been yearning for long, a united community and secure houses against common enemies should war erupt.
Fearing the ramifications of war on an individual basis, Levitt had decided to reduce the fear by forming a unified social system against any impeding threat. He did this by using his own resources to build low cost suburbs and about 18000 residential homes which could accommodate about 80,000 people. In order to encourage more people to join his community, he charged them low amount of which most people including the ordinary type could afford. This was how residential homes and suburbanisation emerged in America.
Part of his Lewis motive in constructing this kind of suburbs arose from his earlier dream of establishing his own community of middle and low class population. Another motivating factor for Levitt was that he had thought that in the case America went to war, he was sure that it will win. The government will then be made to purchase these houses for the returning solders, owing to the American GI bill which stipulates those servicemen and other solders returning from war to be awarded housing mortgages other benefits.
Why was there such a housing crunch in the United States following WW2?
During world war two, housing projects and constructions had actually stopped. Most of the houses that were present at that time were of low standards of ancient times. These houses again were poorly build which posed a danger of collapsing. Moreover, houses at that time did not have basic features such as electricity, plumbing, water, etc. This created a housing emergency and a need of many modern houses which were inexpensive. There was therefore high demand of modern houses. In fact a senate report that was commissioned by the state to establish the status of housing at that time termed this condition not only as a national scandal but a national tragedy.
Another notable factor that happened to cause a housing crunch at that time was t...