Homebuyers Prefer Walkable Neighborhoods -- Sometimes

Commentator Joel Schwartz questions the methodology and findings of the NAR/Smart Growth America report.

1 minute read

October 26, 2004, 2:00 PM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Given the choice between heaven and purgatory, which would you choose?

Thus, it wasn't surprising that when given a choice between an idealized urban village and a suburban nowheresville, a survey released by Smart Growth America (SGA) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found that most people chose the former.

...What's extraordinary is that they got only 60 percent of the respondents to choose the latter. Even with the deck stacked against suburbs, an amazing 40 percent of Americans apparently find suburban purgatory superior to urban heaven."

Thanks to The Practice of New Urbanism

Monday, October 25, 2004 in American Enterprise Institute For Public Policy Re

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