Will Millennials Remake Suburbs in Their Image?

The "hipsterification" of cities is a well-known phenomenon. But as the millennial generation ages and settles down, will they import that same cultural ethos to locations more suburban?

1 minute read

December 2, 2015, 11:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Not in my back yard

Corepics VOF / Shutterstock

Jordan Fraade writes of the possibility that millennials might some day transform the suburbs into hipster meccas like they have already done in some cities. Fraade's case study: Hastings, New York.

"The suburb is a haven for priced-out Brooklynites and their children. Indie filmmakers and acupuncturists, farm-to-table restaurants and yoga studios and craft cocktails — all of those obnoxious hipster trappings that we’d secretly love to have down the street — they’re all there. The New York Times even dubbed the town 'Hipsturbia.'"

The problem, according to Fraade, is that so many suburbs were built after the car became king. So, if Millennials decide to move to suburbs en masse, it's not likely that they'll find such idyllic destinations as Hastings. In drawing out a portrait of the millennial generation's preferences on lifestyle, and its ability to afford those preferences, Fraade also provides a thorough survey of recent articles and thinking on the issue—from multiple sides of an often political issue.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015 in The Washington Post

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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

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