BOOGIE-WOOGIE: The Suburban Commercial Strip and its Neighborhood

Abstract

Historically, shopping areas were located in the hearts of communities. Here shops were mixed and interwoven with public facilities. In contrast, commercial strips in post World War II suburban areas were planned as peripheral environments. They are spatially disconnected from surrounding residential enclaves. In addition, public life within commercial strips is only facilitated in very limited ways. In this article, spatial interventions are proposed that integrate existing suburban commercial strips with surrounding residential areas. Boogie-Woogie music and Piet Mondrian's painting Broadway Boogie-Woogie from 1942/43 are metaphors for the suggested changes.