10th Anniversary Post: Paying Attention to the Suburban Development Behind the Curtain

 

(Google Maps screenshot)

(9/5/2026) Ten years ago, we in the United States were engaged in a presidential election campaign that would bring us the first of two presidential terms for Donald Trump. That was not the outcome I anticipated back in September 2016, but I certainly noticed the surly tone of American politics. The presidential debates occurred against the backdrop of rising Cedar River levels.

The grass-roots efforts by hundreds of Cedar Rapidians this past weekend to protect their fellow citizens' homes and businesses speak to the best potential of our common life. The candidates just don't. Clinton is no visionary, and has a fondness for national programs that will at best nibble at the edges of problems, though the few moments in the debate where the public had a chance to be illuminated were hers.... Trump, whose campaign has been a toxic stew of racial innuendo, vacuous comments, and personal insults, has nothing to recommend himself to anyone who cares about our common life.

After four years of Trump and a terrifying pandemic, I thought Joe Biden had a chance to lower the national temperature and to provide some healing and space for our best instincts to become more visible. Alas, I was wrong again, though I think that was what he was largely trying to do. 

Meanwhile, the public mood of the American public continues to be anxious and defensive. The Pew Research Center summary of a year's worth of public opinion surveys concludes "Americans are in a sour mood" (Smith, Cooperman and Deane 2026). Nearly three in five think America's "best days are behind us," with people under 50 way more pessimistic than their elders. More people expect the future economy to be stronger, and political divisions narrower than was the case three years ago, but those hopeful folks remain decidedly in the minority. The tone of other responses depends on the question, but majorities expect the U.S. economy to be weaker, the U.S. to be a more dangerous place to live, and the U.S. to be less important in the world. More people say the increased use of artificial intelligence has them "more concerned than worried," led by an upsurge in worried young people (McClain and Park 2026). 

More problematically, there has not been across-the-board revulsion at President Trump's efforts to corrupt the 2026 off-year elections (Marley and Binday 2026, ProPublica 2026, Marley and Sanchez 2026). For many Republicans, the imperative to keep the Democrats from winning office outweighs their concern for the integrity of the political system.

The reasons for all this angst are varied. A more partisan media universe highlights conflict. As income inequality rises, fewer people are "middle class," defined as between 2/3 and double the median income, and the earnings gap between college graduates and those with lower educational attainment has increased ("The United States at 250" 2026). Data from New York City show wealth increasingly concentrated among the people at the very tippy top (Shapiro 2026). The percentage of people who know all or most of their neighbors has declined, and with that the percentage of people who trust them has declined even more (Silver and Hatfield 2025). Even if you don't know the exact statistics, people are generally aware enough of these phenomena that they feel less of a stake in the society.

We might be sitting, right now, in the wealthiest society ever on Earth. And yet, many people are disconnected from areas of opportunity, or losers in a winner-take-all economy, or waiting for their jobs to be obsoleted by artificial intelligence, or find their lives upended by yet another climate disaster, or unable to do the simplest errand without getting in a car and fighting traffic. The way we have developed promises us freedom and convenience, but is making us anxious and surly.

ORIGINAL POST: "Paying Attention to the Suburban Development Behind the Curtain," 26 September 2016