A trio of journalists gathers to discuss statistics that show the trends of U.S. population growth has shifted to suburban areas.
"After years of excited talk about the comeback of America’s cities, evidence has been piling up in recent months that the suburbs are doing much better, with even those quirky-but-ubiquitous millennials now moving there in large numbers and buying SUVs," according to the premise of a recent Bloomberg View article.
That premise offers Justin Fox, Conor Sen, and Noah Smith with an opportunity to participate in a discussion about the causes and consequences of the recent resurgence of the suburbs.
The discussion touches on some familiar theories to explain the recent growth of the suburbs: 1) housing choices of the last decade (and mobility choices) were a symptom of a sluggish economy, 2) Millennials might be moving the suburbs not out of choice, but necessity (born of suburban-focused policies on transportation and development), 3) suburbs are increasingly adopting urban models of development, and 4) changes in employment and industry are driving urban growth, but urban land use policies don't allow housing construction to keep pace with job growth.
FULL STORY: Millennials Are Driving the Suburban Resurgence
Pushing Back on 'Suburban Triumphalism'
Interested observers have been predicting a crest of the American "back to the city" movement for years now—the idea that as Millennials come of age they will lose interest in urban lifestyles and seek the comfort of the suburbs.
The Suburbs Are Dead; Long Live the Suburbs
A recent spate of articles pronounced the resurrection of the suburb, so CityLab laid the false dichotomies that drive such proclamations to rest.
Census Data: Millennials Choosing the Suburbs; Babies Booming in Big Cities
Jed Kolko analyzes 2013 population estimates by age group for counties—the U.S. Census released the data late last week.
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