The End Of Suburban Sprawl

20 May 2004 - 8:00am

After five decades, suburbanization may be slowing and even declining according to a study by Rutgers University.

"For half a century after World War II, the quest for a house, a yard and a station wagon, minivan or SUV drove families ever farther from urban areas into rapidly expanding suburbs...But a new study by Rutgers University suggests that the region's suburbanizing trend might have leveled off or even declined in recent years, with people and jobs moving back toward New York and the rest of the region's urban core. High housing prices and traffic in the surrounding ring of suburbs, and an influx of immigrants to cities, are cited as factors in 'The Beginning of the End of Sprawl?'"

Source: Newsday, May 19, 2004
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The decision to abandon a property is a symptom of the loss of confidence. And while abandonment certainly affects confidence among surrounding homeowners, the most important question to answer is not "how do we deal with abandoned properties?" but "what is the most cost-effective way to restore market confidence, and how do abandoned properties fit into that picture?"