Using the 15-year-old transformation of Rockville, MD's mall-centered downtown to a mixed-use town square as an example, the real estate industry sees the suburban-to-urban lifestyle change spreading across much of the country.
Reuters suggests that the change will be hastened by the aging baby boomers that seek a more walkable environment with urban amenities that are not available in much of 1950s-suburbia. In addition, it will be profitable for urban developers as home-seekers will pay a premium for these residences.
"Rockville (MD)'s renaissance over the past four years shows how the shift toward urban-style living has reached the suburbs. And urban planners insist the trend has legs."
"The unexpected revival of a number of cities, from Rockville to Sacramento, stands in contrast to plunging home prices in the suburbs. "America is catching on to this trend," said Peter Calthorpe, who co-founded the Congress for the New Urbanism in 1993 to create alternatives to the conventional suburb."
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