Julie Stern reports on a presentation by NYU professor Eric Klinenberg, who says that the number of people living by themselves in the United States is growing and is having an impact on city life.
In his recent keynote presentation at an Urban Land Institute Terwilliger Center for Housing forum, NYU sociology professor Eric Klinenberg describes the growing trend of people living individually. He notes that the percentage of U.S. households with only one person was less than 10% in 1950, but is now 27.6%.
Klinenberg says that the rise of "singletons," not to be confused with "singles," who may live with family or roommates, does not mean an increase in lonely or asocial people. Julie Stern summarizes, "[P]eople who live alone are more likely than married people to take advantage of urban amenities, to go out at night, to attend public events and engage in other activities that ‘animate the streets.'"
The four biggest influences on this trend, according to Klinenberg, are "[w]omen's economic independence," the pervasive use of social media, "[t]he rise of cities--and of neighborhoods within cities," and growing number of people aging alone.
FULL STORY: Solo Cities: How “Living Alone” Is Changing Urban America
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.