Suburbs

Report: Building the New America

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This new report examines the housing trends that are driving today's migration of people and jobs, and suggests a strategy that better fits the aspirations of most Americans. Below is a summary of the report and a link to download the full report:  read more »

Skate Parks: Appreciating Another Third Place

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My young daughter was extremely excited when I pulled up to the large, two-level skate park in Riverhead, New York. I have been taking her brother there for many years and, despite her young age and small size, she wanted to take her scooter to the park.  read more »

Gen Z Wants Space

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When my Gen Z students graduated a few months ago, I noticed something unusual about their post-baccalaureate plans. For most of my teaching career, many of my students would move to New York City or other large cities to be at the center of the cultural zeitgeist and be connected with others.  read more »

The Question of "Developed" Land -- And Its Impact On Housing

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One of the often-used arguments from advocates for increasing housing supply in our nation's most expensive cities is that zoning policy, or the regulation of land use by local government, has kept an artificially low ceiling on housing development  read more »

Report: How Will California Solve the Housing Crisis?

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This new report examines the housing crisis in California and strategies to create more housing at affordable price points. Below is a summary and a link to download the full report  read more »

Localist Living in a Shrinking Age

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I try hard to give people insights into trends affecting our world. One of them is the way that declining birth rates will ultimately translate into shrinking cities.  read more »

To Reduce Costs, California Also Needs to Build New Suburbs

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The three myths that have led to this predicament are the following: Nuclear power and natural gas power causes unacceptable harm to the environment; reservoirs and desalination plants cause unacceptable harm to the environment; and single-family homes nestled in sprawling suburbs cause unacceptable harm to the environment.  read more »

Urban Sprawl, the Environmentally Friendly Answer to Expensive Housing

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From the dawn of the colonial era, Canada, the U.S., and Australia thrived by providing what the landless have always sought. In the vast expanses of these countries  read more »

Kill Off the Old City So New Cities Can Be Born

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After decades of self-celebration and relentless media hype, the great “urban renaissance” predicted by the New Urbanists—a vision of cities built by and for the creative class—has come crashing down.  read more »

Gen Z Moving Out of Cities

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Remember the young people who supposedly loved cities and rejected the suburbs? It turns out they are the ones who have been fleeing the cities since the beginning of the pandemic.  read more »