Buying and Selling: The End of Cities?

Interesting article in the Washington Post today about the continuing spread of families to outer suburbs.

As I've mentioned before, this is a fascinating, decades-long demographic shift that actually makes me think of old feudalist baronies in England in the like. As conditions in cities become so expensive that only the very rich can afford to live there, you'll have legions of working poor commuting long distances to provide rich city residents with services, while middle-class and workforce housing types are fleeing further and further into the exurbs.

Ironically enough, the exurbanites' desires for city-like amenities will lead to more planned communities, more sprawl, and more urbanization. Once you've had a taste of the Starbucks and Whole Foods, it's tough to give it up. :)

It's a tough call. Stay in the city, and risk higher prices, more safety concerns, and less space for your family. Move to the country, and risk longer commutes and..well..higher prices. :(

We really need to rethink our models of sustainability and development so that people can own homes and raise families without retreating so far into the hinterlands that they might as well move into caves. By the same token, we need to encourage better usage of urban resources to make our cities safer, more livable, and more attractive. Or else they really will become castles on the hill, surrounded by dingy serf dwellings for miles in every direction.

(Hat tip to Bubble Meter and the Economist's View.)

Posted at June 22, 2006 03:54 PM

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Interesting article in the Washington Post today about the continuing spread of families to outer suburbs. As I've mentioned before, this is a fascinating, decades-long demographic shift that actually makes me think of old feudalist baronies in England in the like. As conditions in cities become so expensive that only the very rich can afford to live there, you'll have legions of working poor commuting long distances to provide rich city residents with services, while middle-class and workforce housing types are fleeing further and further into the exurbs. Ironically enough, the exurbanites' desires for city-like amenities will lead to more planned communities, more sprawl, and more urbanization. Once you've had a taste of the Starbucks and Whole Foods, it's tough to give it up. :) It's a tough call. Stay in the city, and risk higher prices, more safety concerns, and less space for your family. Move to the country, and risk longer commutes and..well..higher prices. :( We really need to rethink our models of sustainability and development so that people can own homes and raise families without retreating so far into the hinterlands that they might as well move into caves. By the same token, we need to encourage better usage of urban resources to make our cities safer, more livable, and more attractive. Or else they really will become castles on the hill, surrounded by dingy serf dwellings for miles in every direction. (Hat tip to Bubble Meter and the Economist's View.)