Suburbs against the Region: Homeowner Environmentalism in 1970s Detroit

Abstract

Suburban residents in the Detroit metropolitan area practiced a homeowner environmentalism that sought protection of property values, local sovereignty, and a bucolic aesthetic, while rejecting the sacrifice of political power or resources to the larger region. Such homeowner activism deftly navigated a new political terrain created in the wake of passage of the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act and the rise of the modern environmental movement. Using three case studies of organizations successfully defying major regional developments, this article illustrates the regional planning challenges created in the context of increasing environmental activism and ongoing urban crisis in Detroit.