The percentage of adult Americans living by themselves has doubled since 1960, to its highest level ever, and businesses are taking note.
Eric Klinenberg writes of a dramatic demographic shift over the last 50 years, in which the percentage of married adults has fallen from more than 70% to only 51% of the adult population. "The extraordinary rise of living alone is among the greatest social changes since the baby boom."
In several large cities, including Denver, Seattle, and Washington D.C., more than 40% of households have just one occupant. In Manhattan it is nearly 50%. The implications of this shift are just beginning to be appreciated by businesses and marketers.
"Singletons play an essential yet unappreciated role in revitalizing cities and animating public spaces. Compared with married people, they're more likely to eat out in cafés and restaurants, exercise in a gym, take art classes, attend public events, and volunteer. Perhaps more important, singletons are fueling the economy. They spend more discretionary dollars than their married counterparts."
FULL STORY: Solo nation: American consumers stay single
First-Time Home Buyers Look Different Than They Once Did
New home-buyers are a little older and a lot more likely to be single than they were 20 years ago.
The 'Two-Body Problem' Challenges Small Town Workforces
Academia's "two-body problem" may be affecting other industries as women pursue more specialized careers and marry similarly educated men. Two-career couples are likely to gravitate toward larger metro areas with job opportunities for both partners.
Single Households: Older, Urban, Increasing, and More Sustainable
The number of single households has grown three-fold since the 1950s. More sustainable and more likely to live in cities than married households, singles experience a major problem: metro areas are not planned for them but for nuclear families.
The City of Broken Sidewalks
Can Los Angeles fix 4,000 miles of broken sidewalks before the city hosts the 2028 Olympic Games?
Shifts in Shopping: Transforming Malls Into Parks
Maybe zombie malls still have a second life — one with a little greenery.
To Build More Housing, Cities Must Be Smarter in How They Use Land
How strategic land use policy decisions can alleviate the housing crisis and limit unsustainable sprawl.
Parking Reform Can Boost Homebuilding 40 to 70 Percent
More evidence that parking flexibility is key to housing abundance.
California Adds Complete Streets to Transportation Funding Guidelines
The state transportation commission previously declined to include bike and pedestrian infrastructure in its updated funding guidelines, despite a new state law requiring Complete Streets efforts in all Caltrans projects.
Omaha Streetcar Yielding $1.5 Billion in TIF Funds
The line, scheduled for completion in 2027, is bringing billions in new investment to the city’s urban core.
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.
City of Prescott
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Village of Glen Ellyn
Temple University
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
CORP - COnsulting Research Projects
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport
Rockdale County Board of Commissioners