For my project I am going to compare the house we, as a class, were allowed go in and walk around in Greenbelt to my apartment here at College Park. I am going to do a thorough analysis of both dwellings, and then I will compare and contrast them. I will include such things that are similar such as size, sense of community, cramped living space, and arrangement of the buildings. I will also talk about differences such as, lack of the "green belt" of trees, and the lack of the utopian feeling that the residents of Greenbelt had.
Family surrounded by their things in Greenbelt, MD, c. 1940
Greenbelt, first settled on September 20, 1937, was a planned community (Model City). It was a "utopian" like place that would incorporate the best of all worlds. It was close to Washington, D.C, a major job area where many would work. It also wanted to incorporate the idea of a sense of a community. Wes Alexander also talks about how there is a sense of community in Greenbelt. He states, "It was intended to be the type of neighborhood which would lend itself to family values and a close knit community.
Greenbelt has a small town feel to it which is seen above.
When plans were made the developers wanted to make Greenbelt the best of all worlds. Ease of transportation, safety, community, nature, and self- sufficiency. The community was set up so everything was run with co-ops which made the town very self sufficient (Model City). These stores were purchased and operated by towns people and profits were given back to the people in the form of dividends. These stores made it so that nobody ever needed to step outside the bounds of Greenbelt.
The most important aspect of Greenbelt was the sense of community. There was a definite sense of a close-knit neighborhood. This was provided by many things within the community. First, were the underpasses. These were tunnels built under the roads that winded through Greenbelt (Virtual Greenbelt). These tunnels made it possible for children and adults to walk through to avoid potentially dangerous cars. This edition made it easier for parents to not worry about their children and take care of their own needs.
Nearby Greenbelt is College Park. I live on Guilford Road in College Park. This road and the roads near it contain apartments that are now almost totally filled with college students. These apartments were once the home of teachers who taught at the University of Maryland. These apartments were built to be affordable homes for those who could not afford to commute or live in nearby cities, especially Washington D.C. While these apartments were oncer homes of teachers they quickly became the homes of students looking for affordable off-campus housing. There was one main problem thorough and that was the fact that they were not so affordable. In response to this problem, college students, as they normally do, came up with ways to reduce the cost. They managed to do this by filling the apartments with up to four people. These apartments are only two bedrooms at the maximum yet there are normally two people in a one bedroom apartment and four people in a two bedroom apartment. This drove down the individual costs to the students and it was not difficult for them to live like this. The reason it was not difficult was because students were used to living in situations like this. When a student lived on campus they often, unless lucky, had to share a dorm room with at least one other student so the transition was the same but it allowed for freedom.
How can I compare Greenbelt to what are known as the Knox boxes? It is very easy because they have many similarities. The Knox boxes are very small much like the Greenbelt homes. The Knox boxes also are similar looking to some of the Greenbelt apartments. They are square and broken up around a similar size area. They also on average contained about four people in a very small living space. The towns are also the same because they are both nearby to Washington, D.C. Another major reason the areas are the same is because they both are separated from the rest of the community. The Knox boxes are separated from the rest of College Park much like Old Greenbelt is separated from the rest of Greenbelt. The reason for these separations is the fact that the people where I live are a lot different from the rest of the community. We are all students and that is our bond. This is much like Greenbelt. The original community was set out to encompass American ideals such as family and that is why they are also a separate community.
How are the communities different? This is easy to answer, because there is one main difference here and that is community. In Greenbelt there is and was a major sense of community and in my section of town there does not seem to be this sense of community except on weekends. It is odd because I walk down the street during the week and everyone seems to look the other way. You can't feel any sense of community until the weekend when everyone seems to hang out and be friendly. The reason for this unfriendliness varies. College is very intimidating to some people and they fear what is new. Another reason is because I feel this school promotes secluded groups of friends instead of just everybody hanging out. This is not uncommon for other schools though. Most often kids are intimidated by others and this results in this lack of a sense of community.
There is also another major difference between the two communities. Here you can't feel very safe about your apartment or even yourself but in Greenbelt there is a definite sense of safety. Almost everyday I hear a police car drive by and it is very unsettling. Another difference between the two communities is the fact that there are no children around here while in Greenbelt during the Depression there were many. It was the perfect place to raise children at the time.
Children were very important in the community of Greenbelt. Although you were not allowed to have more than four children in Greenbelt they were still a large part of the community because family was such a major focus of the community (Model City, 5). There were so many different types of programs that were there to help kids develop such as town bands and boy scouts. Sara Brownlow also talks about these types of programs. She says that, "Greenbelt had established over 40 community organizations by 1939 including everything from athletic groups to citizens' associations to theatrical clubs. There was actually a Directory of Greenbelt Organizations which allowed all residents, new and old, to have access to what groups and activities they could become involved in.(Williamson, 75) Greenbelt was a town that was meant to be a utopia and anything that enhanced this utopian idea was available in this Depression time community.
All in all, Greenbelt was a community based on the idea of "community". Th developers wanted Greenbelt to be a "utopian" place for families to live. Rexford G. Tugwell, head of the Resettlement Administration, proposed the idea for these towns because he was inspired by the model garden communities in Britain. While some considered Greenbelt to be a failure, others considered it to be a great success. It depended upon the individual family if it was a success or failure.
Greenbelt encompassed many ideals that I am very fond of such as community, family, friendship, protection, and self-sufficiency. It provided a safe secluded place to live where you knew your children and family would be safe. It must have been very reassuring. In contrast where I live now in College Park the ideals are very different. Sure it is a different time with different factors but it could be a safe neighborhood, or at least a friendlier one if people would just go and say hello to their neighbors; it is just that easy. It worked for me. Greenbelt and College Park In my neighborhood are very different but they are set up much the same.