World looking to US for suburbia clues

from today's USA Today (4/16):

Modern suburbia: It's not just in America anymore;
China, other nations see USA as a model for how to handle growth -- and what to avoid
Haya El Nasser

"A Chinese delegation from Beijing arrived in Phoenix last month and headed west to the Sonoran Desert, deep into suburbia. Its destination: a quintessential American residential development in Buckeye, one of the many suburbs dotting the sprawling metropolitan area.

Members of the group studied the streetscape, the golf course, the spa, the cybercafe, the health care amenities and the design of the single-family homes at Sun City Festival, a 3,000-acre, planned community for people over 55. They commented on the cleanliness and orderliness of it all.

The 25 Chinese who toured the Del Webb development were not seniors planning their retirement but government officials and their spouses, a couple of architects and a banker. Their mission: study American suburbia with an eye toward replicating it back home.

For good or bad, the USA's suburbs have become a living laboratory for the world. Developing countries contending with explosive population growth and economic expansion are looking here for hints about how to manage growing cities. For many, modern suburbia -- a largely American concept and lifestyle for more than 50 years -- is a nirvana worth emulating. Others want to avoid it." ...

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