Prompt Cast
The Rise and Fall of Levittown in Puerto Rico: A Reflection of the American Dream and the Puerto Rican Experience
TLDR Levittown in Puerto Rico, built by the same company as the famous Levitowns in the US, represents a time of change and transformation in Puerto Rico. While it initially promised the American Dream and a middle-class lifestyle, it has since experienced decline due to economic recession, natural disasters, and the deterioration of the neighborhood.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This episode explores the story of Levittown, a suburb in Puerto Rico that reflects the promise of the American dream and the Puerto Rican experience.
05:15
Levittown in Puerto Rico was built by the same company that built the famous Levitowns in the US, and its existence tells a story about a time when Puerto Rico was being remade and what it meant to be Puerto Rican was changing.
10:09
Levitown in Puerto Rico represented a modern suburban dream and a shift towards industrialization and modernity in Puerto Rico.
15:53
The creation of a middle class in Puerto Rico through housing development was an intentional but mixed result, as it required many people to leave the island in order to make it work.
20:31
The Puerto Rican government and the US government both encouraged migration from Puerto Rico to the US in order to stimulate economic growth and provide cheap labor, but the expectation of easy assimilation did not pan out.
25:12
Levittown was a place built by returning Puerto Ricans, who were seeking a nostalgic connection to a life in the countryside that was disappearing in Puerto Rico, but not everyone found it easy to fit back in and some struggled to find jobs and make ends meet.
29:55
Levitown has experienced a decline due to a fiscal recession, the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, and the overall deterioration of the neighborhood, leading some residents to believe that it has failed as an experiment and mirrors the failed experiment of the American Dream.
35:43
Levitown's promise of the American Dream and affordable housing has crumbled due to economic recession, unsustainable consumerism, and the deterioration of the neighborhood, but despite its decay, there are still surprising elements of beauty and symbolism to be found.
41:43
Despite the pandemic preventing the author from visiting their grandparents' Levitán, they imagine a water tower as a portal that could transport them to another Levitán, where they could experience the neighborhood and order quesito from Panadería.
Categories:
History
Society & Culture
