A New Coalition for Urban Place

Who benefits the most from synergistic growth, where the parts of the built environment are brought together to create a strong community and sense of place?

1 minute read

March 4, 2014, 7:00 AM PST

By newurban


Urbanists are understandably frustrated at the slow pace of progress toward communities of synergy — “organic whole” places that are compact and walkable. In recent decades, demographic trends still favored suburban expansion — and spread-out development was and is supported by deeply rooted laws, institutions, and cultural values. 

Now that a long-term pent-up market demand has emerged for urban living in cities and suburbs alike, more fundamental change is possible. Many demographic groups and business sectors benefit from assembling communities in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

The so-called “creative class” and young adults strongly favor urban places and are sought by business and civic interests in both cities and suburbs.

The share of renters is growing nationwide — the mirror-image of homeownership decline — and this group is gaining respect as perhaps the strongest segment of the US real estate market.

... Businesses that depend on urban places include car-share and bike-share companies, mixed-use builders and developers, the transit industry, urban retailers, firms that need access to the workforce and innovation of cities, businesses that depend on tourism nurtured by character of place, downtown business associations, and financial institutions that invest in transit-oriented places.

Monday, March 3, 2014 in Better! Cities & Towns

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight