The role and meaning of history in the suburb

Tourists in a city are never in doubt of the value of its history being immanent, visible and legible. History - the particular history of the locality - is one of the main reasons why tourists choose to visit in the first place.
History plays a central role in the way a place is experienced. This might seem a trivial observation when one thinks of cities like Rome, Paris or London, but seems much less obvious when applied to suburbs - the place where the largest group of the industrialised world's inhabitants lives. Here, it feels as though history is partially absent.

With a few exceptions, there are not many historic or urban qualities that attract tourists to the suburbs. There may be some particular, individual examples of architectural town planning projects that create interest or - more frequently - places of historical interest dating from the pre-suburban period. But the average suburb (if such a thing exists) does not display the historical qualities that attract tourists. That might lead tourists - who are probably suburban dwellers themselves - to assume that the suburb is totally lacking in qualities of a historical nature.

The suburban school of the 1920s was still in recognisable material and form. The building is an example of the immediately understandable architecture: It resembles the cityschools from the preceding decades, the artwork in the fronton shows children learning, and the name of the institution is written on the facade. No one needs to wonder, what he is facing.
(Photo: Poul Sverrild)

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