Here's something interesting...with all the criticism of suburban sprawl and the over-development of "Generica," it seems this great land of ours has lately become an architectural trendsetter. A growing number of both architects and urban planners are thriving overseas, while things back home are in a holding pattern. In some developing boomtowns, an emerging upper class is demanding suburban communities with names and attributes that reflect the American Dream. American-made windows, roofing, and HVAC systems are being shipped overseas to developers and architects who are building to U.S. construction standards.
Some of the countries retaining the services of American architects and planners are Egypt, India, Dubai and China. In New Cairo, Egypt, urban planners are constructing a metropolis from scratch, consisting of single-family homes and high rises, shopping centers, entertainment complexes and parks for about 200,000 residents. Some of the principles used in this development are pointed at creating a mixed-use community that supports less reliance on the automobile, perhaps a lesson learned from the American suburban predecessor. Furthermore, American firms are developing an eco-friendly sprawl that connects to Shanghai by rail, and in northern India there is a new community of luxury villas (Ladies and Gentlemen, we introduce to you...The Master Bathroom!) with the appropriate surroundings: shops, parks, and schools.
Perhaps the most notable quality of these rapidly-emerging cookie-cutter communities is that many of them look and sound exactly like properties with a familiar flavor: California! Perhaps this is because most of the new suburban developments are marketed to affluent buyers, most of who have spent considerable time Stateside or are attracted to the modern convenience of said developments. Let's face it, the California lifestyle is contagious! An American firm well known for its shopping mall design in Dubai (yes, the one with the indoor ski slope...I got that e-mail too!) was also at the helm of a project just outside Beijing, China called Napa Valley. Additionally, there is another suburb of Beijing named Orange County that actually sold out completely within only a few days of its opening. A Newport Beach firm had been hired to replicate homes seen in the Southern California suburban paradise. These replicas were immediately well-received, in spite of critics having deemed them "McMansions." Suburban communities are cropping up all over developing countries, sporting grassy front lawns and modern kitchens, wine cellars, and the adored Sub-Z's. But how do these culturally-American homes support the traditions of our overseas brothers? Adjustments are built-in to accommodate generations-long customs. In Asia, for example, outdoor kitchens are a necessary amenity for frying food, and the simple addition of trellis material keeps harsh sunlight out of a Mediterranean-style home.
Perhaps the most American/Californian building platform in the modern age is green planning. Many U.S. green concepts such as insulation and proper vent management are being introduced to the overseas market, as are energy-efficiency products. As always, there are concerns and there are critics. With suburban communities reaching into Latin America, North Africa, Asia and even Eastern Europe, there is much attention to preserving natural resources in each of these areas. As a result, land use professionals are taking foreign groups on tours to study U.S. communities and have even opened a center for education in the United Arab Emirates. American architects do indeed have a knack for luxuriating homeowners in space and comfort, and the American love of the shopping mall and resort (home away from home) is showing itself to be contagious as more and more developers from the U.S. are called upon so spread some of the comfort and convenience that is America unto foreign soil.