A Suburban Dreamscape Outshining Urbanism: The Case of Housing Advertisements

Abstract

Cities and suburbs are often constructed as different socio-spatial entities to afford different ways of life. Although that dichotomy has been challenged, it has maintained its popularity in academic discourse. As with many European cities, the municipality of Oslo—the capital of Norway—is experiencing population growth. To provide sufficient accommodation for its inhabitants, the municipality has adopted a compact-city strategy to prevent urban sprawl. However, in 2018, a major private housing developer launched an advertising campaign that promoted the benefits of living in the suburbs rather than in dense urban environments. Using concepts that were adopted from “social semiotics,” this article demonstrates how specific uses of semiotic resources can create a suburban dreamscape that can potentially attract urbanites to suburbia.