Residence: Inequality in Mass Suburbia - Essay Example

In the 1920s, there were various organizations that were dedicated to the provision of important precedents including suburbs and the bungalow building, and the Victoria streetcar among others (Cohen 194).

Inequality in education that rose in the 1950s is another critical element that has been emphasized by the author. In fact, some of the problems that communities may be facing today regarding inequality in education may have been a result of the problems suburbia created during those days (Cohen 194).

A critique of schooling and housing inequality

The author describes Suburbia as the home of affluence as well as the home of inequality. Inequality was the order of the day. Inequality was widely spread in almost every aspect of life in Suburbia. Access to mortgages, tax benefits, credit, as well as mass income tax, worked better in favor of a particular group compared to other groups.  Additionally, there was still inequality between men and women, the middle class, and the working class as well as between the whites and the blacks.

The prices of homes in Suburban communities were extremely high. Actually, they were high to an extent that very few workers in the manufacturing firms were willing to move closer to the workplaces. With an average weekly was of $ 116.62, workers could not afford to pay for homes in areas where most industries were moving (Cohen 197).

Segmentation of housing was somehow reduced after the postwar metropolitan housing market. Those working-class individuals who were set aside for the middle-class suburban communities were simply by virtue of their personal expenses. For instance, to get a house in New Jersey in the early 1960s, about twenty miles away North West of Newark, an individual was required to take a mortgage of $ 15,000. Also, one was required to pay maintenance, taxes, and other utilities, and more important one was required to include the commuting cost. Mathematically, an individual was required to have an annual income of $ 12,000.

Schooling inequality was a very critical element in Suburbia communities. Since localities are responsible for funding the various services that are available in the US, their curtailed sovereignty created other kinds of inequality apart from housing inequality. There was significant inequality in educational opportunities. Schooling was the primary victim of education inequalities. In the United States, states were granting local communities the power and authority to pay or provide for their schools by taxing real properties within their boundaries. Therefore, the abundant revenue that was collected was allocated per pupil in exclusive communities where the up-zoning controlled schools were located (Cohen 198).

Questions or issues that warrant discussion in class

In this analysis, there are various issues that may require to be debated. First, the issue of housing is very critical.  Gender, social class, and race should not be determining factors during the acquisition of a house through a mortgage system or any other method of acquisition. Secondly, the local communities are not required to allocate educational funds for students as well as for schools.