Article in today's Wall Street Journal. The far 'burbs are back in demand as worker bees-can't afford to live in the city. Article says it's great for people in their early 20's but when marriage and kids kick in the need for space for the kids, a safe environment, affordable housing, and good schools trump trendiness. Same as always. Plus many worker-bees now telecommute.
Non Sequitur
Mar 26, 19 4:04 pm
Simple, just move to a place that has detached single-family homes within a few minutes of the city's centre and with good transit.
tduds
Mar 26, 19 5:18 pm
Streetcar suburbs are where it's at. (In the very, very few places where they're still at).
Non Sequitur
Mar 26, 19 6:50 pm
I’m getting a light rail station 5 min from our house soon (2-4y) from now. My commute to the office will now be about 10 instead of 25.
citizen
Mar 26, 19 4:13 pm
Is anyone really surprised by this?
axonapoplectic
Mar 27, 19 5:56 am
It means we’re now in a real estate bubble. Buying in the exurbs is a last resort.
thisisnotmyname
Mar 26, 19 4:18 pm
Don't know what the big surprise is here. Little to none of the trendy downtown apartments and condos of the past 15-20 years are appropriate for raising kids in. Getting the next generation to move into (for a while anyway) overpriced inner-city housing will be key to keeping this game going for the owners and developers.
Volunteer
Mar 26, 19 4:28 pm
Not surprised at all but the mantra of many planners, and not a few architects, is that we will all be moving to the city to be stacked like chickens in crates on a truck going to the processing plant. The worker-bees did not get the memo.
citizen
Mar 26, 19 4:43 pm
^ Bingo!
Along the same lines: the cars evil, transit moral mantra has failed to anticipate smart technology, entrepreneurship, and the high demand by youngsters for responsive transportation.
SneakyPete
Mar 26, 19 7:25 pm
Since there's no such thing as clairvoyance, would it not be more useful to spend effort trying to alter course instead of using the knowledge you have and the previous generations did not to sit around playing "I told you so?" when in fact you did not because you were not here?
curtkram
Mar 26, 19 8:10 pm
we're stacking chicken boxes in the suburbs too
geezertect
Mar 26, 19 8:51 pm
We previous generations have had the knowledge for a long time. Architects, planners and urban enthusiasts have been trying to shove density down the throats of the middle class since at least the sixties (see Reston, VA and Columbia, MD). The dogs didn't like the dog food then, and they don't like it now. Dense urban living may work tolerably well for the very young and a few empty nesters, but most people don't want to live that close together, and they will vote with their feet whenever they can.
curtkram
Mar 26, 19 10:04 pm
the young and empty nesters are the largest generations
won and done williams
Mar 26, 19 7:24 pm
You’re using some Wall Street Journal article to rationalize some life choice you’ve made? Umm, good for you?
x-jla
Mar 27, 19 3:38 am
after a long day working, kids getting driven around, and barely having the time to eat something, I want to see trees and sky when I look up, not boxes of other stressed out people.
geezertect
Mar 27, 19 7:10 am
What? You don't like riding on a filthy city bus, stepping over homeless people, and listening to sirens all night? Hard to believe.
curtkram
Mar 27, 19 8:32 am
those apartments have balconies. they still let you see the sky.
Non Sequitur
Mar 27, 19 8:42 am
my BBQ and patio are still trapped by 2' deep snow. Soon my precious... very soon.
axonapoplectic
Mar 27, 19 8:44 am
did y’all even read the article? Buying and building in the exurbs are a huge risk and are a sign of an overheated market. These are places of last resort for people who can barely afford to buy - and are the first to lose value when the market declines. Trading off cheaper housing for long commute is short term thinking - the article even mentions people hoping they can buy closer in when the market inevitably drops. The problem is you’re going to take a hit when you try to unload your place in the boonies.
And to extrapolate from this article that demand is declining in the urban core? That’s pure wishful thinking.
axonapoplectic
Mar 27, 19 8:46 am
And Some really bizarre comments on this thread. Y’all actually think there’s no housing type variety in cities? Have you actually been to a city?
Article in today's Wall Street Journal. The far 'burbs are back in demand as worker bees-can't afford to live in the city. Article says it's great for people in their early 20's but when marriage and kids kick in the need for space for the kids, a safe environment, affordable housing, and good schools trump trendiness. Same as always. Plus many worker-bees now telecommute.
Simple, just move to a place that has detached single-family homes within a few minutes of the city's centre and with good transit.
Streetcar suburbs are where it's at. (In the very, very few places where they're still at).
I’m getting a light rail station 5 min from our house soon (2-4y) from now. My commute to the office will now be about 10 instead of 25.
Is anyone really surprised by this?
It means we’re now in a real estate bubble. Buying in the exurbs is a last resort.
Don't know what the big surprise is here. Little to none of the trendy downtown apartments and condos of the past 15-20 years are appropriate for raising kids in. Getting the next generation to move into (for a while anyway) overpriced inner-city housing will be key to keeping this game going for the owners and developers.
Not surprised at all but the mantra of many planners, and not a few architects, is that we will all be moving to the city to be stacked like chickens in crates on a truck going to the processing plant. The worker-bees did not get the memo.
^ Bingo!
Along the same lines: the cars evil, transit moral mantra has failed to anticipate smart technology, entrepreneurship, and the high demand by youngsters for responsive transportation.
Since there's no such thing as clairvoyance, would it not be more useful to spend effort trying to alter course instead of using the knowledge you have and the previous generations did not to sit around playing "I told you so?" when in fact you did not because you were not here?
we're stacking chicken boxes in the suburbs too
We previous generations have had the knowledge for a long time. Architects, planners and urban enthusiasts have been trying to shove density down the throats of the middle class since at least the sixties (see Reston, VA and Columbia, MD). The dogs didn't like the dog food then, and they don't like it now. Dense urban living may work tolerably well for the very young and a few empty nesters, but most people don't want to live that close together, and they will vote with their feet whenever they can.
the young and empty nesters are the largest generations
You’re using some Wall Street Journal article to rationalize some life choice you’ve made? Umm, good for you?
after a long day working, kids getting driven around, and barely having the time to eat something, I want to see trees and sky when I look up, not boxes of other stressed out people.
What? You don't like riding on a filthy city bus, stepping over homeless people, and listening to sirens all night? Hard to believe.
those apartments have balconies. they still let you see the sky.
my BBQ and patio are still trapped by 2' deep snow. Soon my precious... very soon.
did y’all even read the article? Buying and building in the exurbs are a huge risk and are a sign of an overheated market. These are places of last resort for people who can barely afford to buy - and are the first to lose value when the market declines. Trading off cheaper housing for long commute is short term thinking - the article even mentions people hoping they can buy closer in when the market inevitably drops. The problem is you’re going to take a hit when you try to unload your place in the boonies.
And to extrapolate from this article that demand is declining in the urban core? That’s pure wishful thinking.
And Some really bizarre comments on this thread. Y’all actually think there’s no housing type variety in cities? Have you actually been to a city?