Levittown

Joseph Levitt changed the way we live, and in the process allowed many Americans the chance to achieve the American Dream. By cutting out all the waste and inefficiency of the home building process, and by applying modern manufacturing principles, Joseph Levitt was able to reduce the cost of homes to just $8000 in the early 1950's. This meant that home ownership was within reach for most Americans. These towns became known as Levittown, and form the model for the modern suburban neighborhoods we still develop and live in today. As people fled the urban centers for quieter suburban life, retailers had to adapt, giving rise to shopping centers, construction of new schools, hospitals, stores, and other services trying to cater to the new suburban dwellers. It also left significant urban decay, leaving urban areas to become dilapidated. Many minority groups were denied access to these neighborhoods because of discriminatory lending practices from banks, or by the neighborhood building policies.

[@localblackman427]

A big impact that shaped how we live today is in who Levitt allowed and didn't allow to buy those homes in the first place

[@jasonjohnson4179]

It was actually William Levitt, not Joseph Levitt. Joseph Levitt is an actor.

[@russellshistory1614]

Yes. Which of course I caught only after posting.