Defining And Finding Exurbia

"Finding Exurbia: America's Fast-Growing Communities at the Metropolitan Fringe" looks at communities located on the urban fringe that have at least 20 percent of their workers commuting to jobs in an urbanized area, exhibit low housing density, and have relatively high population growth.

Despite the hullabaloo from political analysts, media, and local growth activists, just 6 percent of large metro area residents live in an exurb, and these exurbs vary from affordable housing havens, to ranchettes for the wealthy, to hopscotch projects where development is easy. While election observers may keep exurbs in the spotlight, the real test for exurbia is whether these outposts remain outposts, or do they become the suburbs of tomorrow?

Thanks to Sarah Jolda