ABSTRACT
As the United States progressed from an agricultural nation to a markedly urbanized one, each step of the way was paralleled by Americans' attempts to make sense of what was happening. This ideological accompaniment to the objective facts of national urbanization was shot through, during the nineteenth century, with contrasts drawn between urban and rural styles of life. The lessening of differences between suburb and city—by the increasing suburban densities and the possibility of planning cities for good living—seems destined to bring about further changes in the urban imagery of Americans. When Americans can maintain no longer that the several locales differ then people can expect new imageries to arise—new interpretations of the latest phases of urbanization. As the polar concepts of city and suburb thus dissolve, Americans are being invited to think of urbanization in newer, more up-to-date terms.
