Rising housing costs and the growth of more urbanized, amenity-rich small metros are driving college-educated workers away from “superstar cities.”

Increasingly expensive coastal cities are bleeding both low-income workers and college-educated workers, according to an article by Emily Badger, Robert Gebeloff, and Josh Katz in The New York Times. “This pattern, visible in an Upshot analysis of census microdata, is startling in retrospect. Major coastal metros have been hubs of the kind of educated workers coveted most by high-powered employers and economic development officials.”
Even before the pandemic, college-educated working-age adults were leaving cities like San Francisco and New York at higher rates every year. “A chart showing net domestic migration of college-educated working-age adults in the San Francisco metro area, going from an average annual gain of roughly 10,000 people before the pandemic to a loss of 25,000 people in 2021.”
Now, “affordability has broadly been eroding up the income spectrum in the country’s most expensive metros. As these regions have become richer, that has, among other things, helped fuel the rise in their housing prices.” The workers leaving these cities are migrating to other, less expensive but still thriving metro areas such as Phoenix, Atlanta, and Houston.
Read the source article for an in-depth analysis of domestic migration trends, the shifting needs and expectations of Americans, and the changes in smaller towns that have made them more attractive in recent years.
FULL STORY: Coastal Cities Priced Out Low-Wage Workers. Now College Graduates Are Leaving, Too.

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing
From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

In Most U.S. Cities, Archaic Laws Limit Roommate Living
Critics argue laws preventing unrelated adults from living in the same home fail to understand the modern American household.

Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown
In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.

California Moves to Limit Autonomous Trucks
A bill passed by the State Assembly and moving on to the Senate would require autonomous semi trucks to have a trained human operator in the vehicle.

Minnesota Budget Includes Significant Transit Investments
After a contentious debate, the state legislature passed a budget that changes how transportation projects are funded and supports increased transit service in the state.

Proposed Land Value Tax Plan in Detroit
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan proposes hiking property taxes for vacant land and buildings while lowering the rate for occupied homes and businesses in a split tax plan he contends will resolve many of Detroit's blight and high property tax woes.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
City of Orange
City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.