Manufactured Soullessness

 

    It should be noted at the outset that the homes in question are all clean, well-kept, and architecturally pleasing to the eye. But they're all ugly, just the same. This is a large subdivision in Jacksonville, one of many in this huge sprawling city. The street names are predictable: Wren, Cooper's Glen, Maserati, Peaceful Lakes, Red Fox Run, etc. Dig a pond by the entrance, and install a lighted fountain in the middle and the prices of the houses go up a few thousand.  Welcome to suburbia-not far away are the strip malls, the shopping centers, the fast food restaurants, car dealerships and malls. Wait, you say, ugly? How so?

It's like an open air rabbit warren. Houses are close together. Yards are small. And even though an attempt was made to vary the design of the houses, they all somehow look the same, as if someone drew from  the template "how to vary the design of houses in a subdivision". Mass produced diversity, if you will. The very fact that there's a homeowner's association here gives the whole thing a pompous air.