"These tracts were the only solution for those who wanted something better than a small apartment; room for their children and pets, a garage for the car, compatible neighbors.

It is unfortunate that they had to expand into the countryside, displacing the natural environment, but no alternative was available."

No... they were not the only alternatives... but they were the ones that made the biggest profit and benefitted short term gains. Big difference. And the battle continues as more and more marginal land is all that is left. And we use "new housing" as a parameter of fiscal health.

And the folks who moved out from the city still expected the same types of services they got back in the city. And also had to commute back to the city were the jobs were... minus the tax base that shifted to the suburbs.      

As an environmental analyst, my job deals with the legacy left by the ticky tacky housing mentality with its get rich quick now and ignore the future consequences.   

One final observation as to the lack of foresight, not to mention common sense, found at the time. The 1960s experienced a long term drought in New York State... which caused a number of ponds to shrink as the water table dropped. The clueless wonders in the local towns only saw "new land & tax $$$"... so they promptly approved buidling lots on land that used to pond margins. Well, it shouldn't take a genius to guess what happened when the drought ended and water returned.