Tract housing evolved in the 1940s when the demand for cheap housing rocketed after World War II. Economies of scale meant that large numbers of identical homes could be built faster and more cheaply to fulfil the increased demand. Developers would purchase a dozen or more adjacent lots and conduct the building construction as an assembly-line process. This type of development is often criticised by city planners and architects because it overlooks the concept of community building, instead creating a homogeneous residential neighborhood with no local employment, commerce, services, or attractions.
This aerial photograph shows tract housing in the suburbs of Markham, a city in Ontario, Canada.Photograph credit: Ian Duke; edited by Eric Gaba