This paper argues that the American dream of accumulating wealth and owning a home creates demand for housing at the edge of metropolitan areas, inadvertently weakening cities and older suburbs.
This report argues that there is an important, almost inevitable, housing dynamic that shapes many major metropolitan areas, particularly those in the Midwest. As households accumulate wealth, they tend to buy bigger and more expensive homes, and these homes are often located farther out at the edges of metropolitan areas. This pull to the suburbs creates housing vacancies or less investment in homes located in central cities and older suburbs, which in turn, can further erode existing neighborhoods and push more families outward. The paper examines this homebuying and housing cycle in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio metropolitan areas and offers a number of strategies that state and local leaders should take to help stem some of the negative effects of this pattern. [Complete 28-page report available in PDF format.]
Thanks to Kurt Sommer
Read the full story: Moving Up, Filtering Down: Metropolitan Housing Dynamics and Public Policy
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority