Why Do People Move to the Suburbs?
A tweet from earlier today by Will Stancil, a researcher at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity, has blown up on “urbanist Twitter”:
Dear urbanist Twitter: People move to the suburbs because they want to live in a suburban environment, not because they're priced out of cities.
— Will Stancil (@whstancil) September 18, 2020
There are obviously a wide variety of reasons why people move to the suburbs, and there are data points that suggest both a “return to the city” as well as the enduring popularity of suburbia. The suburbs themselves have evolved, with some deeply urbanized, some poor, and many extremely diverse, a transformation that many do not quite grasp.
Richard Florida: so uh did you hear suburbs are diverse now
13 counties in Maryland and Northern Virginia: [slurping bubble tea while eating a pupusa wrapped in injera bread] wow you don't sayhttps://t.co/bXqFcGBHAV
— dan reed 🦀🏳️🌈🇬🇾👋🏾 (@justupthepike) November 8, 2019
The evolution of suburbia, as well as the growing popularity of mixed-use projects and New Urbanist-style developments, makes it difficult to pinpoint what “leaving the city for the suburbs” even means, in many cases. Open thread here: we’d like your thoughts on Stancil’s assertion. Open thread.
This New Urbanism series is supported by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Follow New Urbs on Twitter for a feed dedicated to TAC’s coverage of cities, urbanism, and place.
