Essay 01
Greenfields: Grass and identity in suburbia

Aoibheann Ní Mhearáin (Architect/Tutor, UCD & CCAE) looks at the position of green space - from front lawns to football pitches - in the formation of a uniquely suburban society.

Essay 02
Geographies of improvement: Work, leisure and suburban escape, 1880-1939

Geraldine Biddle Perry (Lecturer, Central Saint Martins) recounts the origins of cycling & outdoor culture at the turn of the century, and describes its influence in shaping the emerging masses of suburbia.

Essay 03
The Holy Trinity of Modernity: Leisure, suburbia and the shopping centre

Janina Gosseye (Postdoctoral Researcher, TUDelft) discusses the link between suburbia, modernism and leisure in the invention of the 20th century shopping centre, and how it shaped the planning and design of this period.

Essay 04
Public Recreation: Corporation pools in Dublin during the mid-20th century

Suvi Talja (Researcher) identifies the changing fortunes of Dublin's Corporation swimming pools, from the politics of their establishment to their proliferation as new generators of suburban, civic life.