The Housing Market Revolution

The shift in tastes from suburban sprawl to compact urban amenities goes mainstream, as USA Today covers the historic shift in the nation's development patterns.

"Whether it's temporary or a seminal moment in the nation's development history, the housing bust and recession have prompted developers to set their sights inward. When property values drop, so does investment. And because values dropped the most on the outer edges of metro areas, developers are paying attention to sites they never considered before."

"Most major builders have created "urban" divisions in the past five years to scout for available land in already-developed parts of cities and closer suburbs - even if it means former industrial and commercial sites or land that may require environmental cleanup."

"This shift doesn't mean the end of sprawling suburban subdivisions in onetime cow pastures and corn fields, but it does signal a notable change that could alter the housing landscape for years to come."