Lessons to Learn from the Real O.C.

Lessons to Learn from the Real O.C.

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved.

"Secluded within its own gated hideaway, the Irvine Village of Laguna Altura presents a collection of four luxurious neighborhoods, located in a rare Laguna Canyon environment, minutes from Irvine Spectrum Center® and Laguna Beach."

Laguna Altura

The photographs and sales pitch above commodify the dream of suburban living, safety, and beauty.  This example comes from Orange County, California and it is the Ghost of Christmas Past for older counties and also serves as the Ghost of Christmas Future for others.  Orange County's history includes a bounty of dinosaurs, the Tongva, Juaneño, and Luiseño American Indians, Spanish expedition of Gaspar de Portolà, land baron James Irvine, Walter Knott, Walt Disney, John Wayne, and Real Housewives.  L.A. to O.C.   Orange County is the sixth most populous county, at the same time being the smallest county in Southern California (Orange County).

The popular lure of California.  Music and California is synonymous, synergistic, and self-feeding.  California is home to Capitol Records and various other recording companies.  In addition to providing a home base and fans, California has been and continues to be the topic of songs, “California Girls” The Beach Boys, “California Dreamin'” The Mamas and the Papas, “Hotel California” The Eagles, “Californication” Red Hot Chili Peppers, and “California Callin" Enrique Iglesias.  Greece had its mythological sirens, so too California has its musical sirens.

Massive in size, tremendous in population, chained to the easy life, bursting with issues, and with the ticking of “the big one” in the background, how can anyone buy “Orange County”?  The commodification of Orange County may include some false advertising and images from music; however, its existence and use may not be for what some believe.  Californians do not share a single language, religion, or homeland, they lack social capital.  Trains, roads, television, amusement parks, beaches, mountains, and deserts fail to truly connect the people.  The commodification of the county is not for mere monetary capital, it is an attempt by its people to forge social capital, a common bond between them.

A county will often mess up "when it builds exclusively in its own image or at variance with the rest of society" (Rowe 34), especially when it comes to housing.  It is not only local governments that do poorly, "unsatisfactory results also often occur when city building process is turned over to the market forces" (Rowe 34).  Sienna and Barcelona from the 1200s-1300s are both examples of bungling a good thing.  The citizens and government officials in Sienna and Barcelona overbuilt, turned away from their original civic values, thus went from great republics to declining cities.  The residents of Orange County share a bond with Sienna and Barcelona -- the challenge of what to do after overcrowding and changes to its civic nature.


  

The beautiful home photos above of one of Orange County's newest neighborhoods do not show drivers in the county spend 63 hours a year in traffic congestion (Molina).   Funny enough, Irvine city council members claimed studies showed no negative impact for building more houses, more condos, and more apartments.  Although, this would be better explained as no negative impact on their campaign contributions from builders and construction companies.  A deal to develop 4,606 new homes outside The Great Park was approved by the Irvine City Council ("Donations in Irvine races may have broken law").   

We do not have to be militant environmentalists and we do not have to feel we have to allow overbuilding as to not betray our pro-business platforms.  We do have to think that what we allow to be built reflects our values and does impact our lives and the lives of future generations.  Dead is the suburban Orange County and alive is the megalopolis.  There is a lesson for future counties to learn from the real O.C.  Although it is too late for Orange County to restore its pastoral roots, citizens in other counties must monitor future developments in their communities and make their voices heard by their city council members, developers, and community leaders. 

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Credits:

http://www.irvinepacific.com/,

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/traffic-285160-congestion-county.html?pic=2, http://www.cacities.org/Member-Engagement/Regional-Divisions/Orange-County