Why America’s Young And Restless Will Abandon Cities For Suburbs | Newgeography.com

Why America’s Young And Restless Will Abandon Cities For Suburbs | Newgeography.com

Generational movements are interesting to observe, mainly because it shows trend progressions. While statistics back the trend of young people (20's and 30's) choosing inner-cities, the article shows a movement back to the the suburbs. As an urban dweller and suburban worker, I like this trend. The site specific boom and bust periods of housing markets might be over. Instead of developing one area and leaving the other to decay, maybe the market can finally utilize both. It would finally take the strain off city infrastructure - both urban and rural. This housing crisis somewhat proved this theory. It wasn't an industrial revolution that left the rural areas in poverty; and it wasn't a white flight period that left the urban areas in shambles. This crisis was (more or less) felt across the market.

While I may personally not like the suburban life, many of my millennial friends have opted for this transition. But here's the kicker. They opt for the suburbs under certain conditions. Most are buying into communities that hold the urban qualities of convenience and choice, while making sure it fits in the the suburban gimmicks of 'new', spread out, and car oriented. I contend this development is more expensive. Given they are less dense and need more infrastructure (thus should pay more). But that's another topic for another day.

What I don't get is Louisiana. The national trend of buying in both the suburbs and cities seem to hold statistically true. Yet for none of the same reasons. Most urban areas are still dilapidated with little public improvements; while developers in the suburbs aren't blending housing with convenience.

The reason? Maybe status quo? Or are their still underlying factors? Houses are newer in the suburbs here, but traffic is still horrible, environmental conditions are troublesome, jobs aren't following (companies normally follow the populous), and the suburbs aren't incorporating convenience/choice into developments. Which is not the present day national trend for the suburbs. So one can only conclude our movement is still directly related to crime, poverty, and lack of education. Which Louisiana (Baton Rouge and New Orleans especially) rank at the bottom tier of all those. But since the bedroom communities are OK with the status quo, infrastructure investment isn't happening. Neither are developers taking more concern in future trends. That's OK now... but ten years we will be stuck with development that people don't want (let alone are sustainable with our current infrastructure).

Streetsblog.net » Dallas Demonstrates How Not to Build a Modern Streetcar

Streetsblog.net » Dallas Demonstrates How Not to Build a Modern Streetcar

I like Dallas. But there are many things I don't get about Dallas. One of those things in their transit system. They have a very extensive system, and with exception to this new line, it seems well thought out. The suburban park and rides are cheap and easy; the rail in the inner city services many of the old business districts; and they have developed many TOD's around new stations. Yet on visits to Dallas (including my most recent), no one uses the system. I mean, Generation X and Y'ers will use transit purely on principal. I mean common, Portland built an entire city overnight based on that principal. Now the city is dependent on their system.

Then enter Dallas. The system has been in place almost as long as Portland's and Washington, DC's. yet it obviously hasn't taken hold like those two cities. Mind you, I haven't been there during the work week and I can only hope it's utilized by commuters. But the fact people my age never consider the alternative, I don't have high hopes. Maybe the system is still too new. Maybe the car is just too prevalent. Maybe it's just the south. But even people in New Orleans use the highly inefficient Streetcar just, well, because.

But the only thing that I can think of is the CATS tax initiative and how the Dallas outcome would kill anything transit in Baton Rouge forever. And as always, I fear the worse. People say they would definitely ride a train over a bus. Yet at the end of the day, the underlying concepts are the same. And those underlying cocepts need to be at the forefront from the planning stages, all the way through to execution. Somewhere it was lost in Dallas. And Baton Rouge doesn't have the convenience of a nice highway infrastructure to fall back on like Dallas.