The suburbs can help cities in the fight against climate change

The edges of cities around the world are being devastated by fires and floods. It’s drawing attention to suburban residents and the role they’re playing in exacerbating their exposure to climate change risks. But instead of focusing on the suburban way of life alone, planners and policy-makers need to focus their attention and actions on what holds it all together: the “brutalscape,” which is comprised of the infrastructures that enable suburban life. Yes, today’s suburban lifestyles are grossly unsustainable as a rule. At its most extreme, suburban settlement in ecologically sensitive areas is clearly reckless. But can we afford to caricature the suburbs and their inhabitants as dreamers living in a nightmare?