Edward Berenson

Professor of history at New York University and director of its Institute of French Studies. Author of 'Perfect Communities: Levitt, Levittown, and the Dream of White Suburbia'.

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Aug 13, 2025 • 1h 3min

Edward Berenson, "Perfect Communities: Levitt, Levittown, and the Dream of White Suburbia" (Yale UP, 2025)

Edward Berenson, a history professor at NYU and author of 'Perfect Communities,' dives into the life of William Levitt, the man behind modern suburbia. He discusses how Levittown emerged as a solution to post-WWII housing shortages, offering affordable homes that shaped the American Dream. However, Levitt's legacy is marred by exclusionary practices that reinforced racial segregation. Berenson reflects on how these developments not only influenced housing trends locally but also had lasting global implications, revealing the complexity of suburbia's history.

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