The Suburbs Are Still Where It’s At

Contrary to the hopeful prognostications of “new urbanists,” who said that Americans would move en masse to dense city centers, rent rather than buy, take eco-friendly public transit to work, American suburbs are booming. The big house, big car lifestyle is still the middle-class American way for raising a family and creating wealth. The New York Times reports:

Be skeptical when you hear about the return to glory of the American city — that idealized vision of rising skyscrapers and bustling, dense downtowns. Contrary to perception, the nation is continuing to become more suburban, and at an accelerating pace. The prevailing pattern is growing out, not up, although with notable exceptions.

Rural areas are lagging metropolitan areas in numerous measures, but within metro areas the suburbs are growing faster in both population and job growth.

The post-recession urban boom was in part a product of the stimulus and low interest rates and millennials’ inability to make down payments. But now that millennials are starting to get married and make more money and enter the housing market, the demand for suburban living is increasing. Meanwhile, telecommuting, Amazon, and low energy prices make suburban living more convenient and less expensive. Our regulatory and infrastructure planning policies should reflect the centrality of suburbs in American life, rather than trying to shoehorn a new generation into an eco-friendly urbanist utopia.