Lewis McCrary

American baby boomers came of age as suburbia was becoming king, in a time of big cars, free parking, and the romance of the open road. American cities had started their long decline, and President Eisenhower inaugurated the 48,000-mile Interstate system as expressways carved up historic downtowns in the name of speed. For all the activism of the baby boomer generation, they largely supported the dismal state of the built environment they inherited from their parents.

Some of the his most under-appreciated contributions are on the relationship between everyday life and the built environment. Very few of us will ever be referred to in the adjectival form. Yet Roger Scruton (1944-2020) deserves such an appellation, and as early as 1985, “Scrutonian gusto” appeared in a snide 1985 Architectural Review piece.

New urbanists offer a path to resilience during viral crises by easing our worst enemy: density. A bicycle rider wears a mask in Prospect Park in response to the spread of coronavirus on March 18, 2020 in Brooklyn. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) The pandemic has come, and the great American cities are going quiet. Workers are emptying out to go to the suburbs, while other urbanites hunker down at home, passing the time in front of numerous flickering screens.