Studying the suburbs: From museums to academia, suburban life no longer a laughing matter

Derided no more, suburban life is turning serious

SHAWNEE, Kan. — A national museum about suburban life that is planned outside Kansas City is the latest sign that deep thinkers are starting to take the ‘burbs seriously.

The proposed National Museum of Suburban History in Johnson County, Kan., wants to increase the public’s appreciation of suburban life while also serving as a center of academic research.

Academia is slowly embracing suburban studies as a legitimate field of scholarly inquiry.

The University of California-Riverside started a Center for Sustainable Suburban Development in 2003.

And Hofstra University in New York started a National Center for Suburban Studies in 2007. The New York center is located on Long Island, home to the iconic suburb of Levittown.