Urban vs. Suburban

Suburban School Crossing

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.

April 17, 2018 - City Observatory

Highway Living

Outcomes of the Federal Highway Program: Inequality and Polarization

It's a vicious cycle: highways enable white flight, establishing a power base for a political party opposed to urban transportation systems.

March 28, 2018 - Stanford News

Urban Infill

AIA: Demand for High-Density Development Is Down

For the first time in four years, a quarterly survey indicates “market saturation in urban areas.”

January 11, 2018 - Builder

Millennials in the Wild

Young Adults Aren't Fleeing Cities—Quite the Contrary

Joe Cortright presents the antidote to an emerging narrative about the shifting lifestyle preferences of young adults (i.e., Millennials).

January 8, 2018 - City Observatory

Suburban Neighborhood

'Infinite Suburbia' Upends Everything We Know About Suburbia

Joel Kotkin and Alan M. Berger discuss their new book, which analyses what the suburbs are and will become, in both the United States and around the world.

December 7, 2017 - The Architect's Newspaper

London Crowded Street

Study Touts the Public Health Benefits of Dense, Urban Living

A study of British cities find people living in dense urban cores are less likely to struggle with obesity and more likely to exercise—signs of higher quality of life—than their counterparts in suburban environments.

October 6, 2017 - Reuters via The Guardian

High Line

Richard Florida: 'The Urban Revival Is Over'

The author of the "The Rise of the Creative Class" and the "New Urban Crisis" says cities have had their moment.

September 5, 2017 - The New York Times

Austin Construction

For Discussion: Why Are More Millennials Choosing the Suburbs?

A trio of journalists gathers to discuss statistics that show the trends of U.S. population growth has shifted to suburban areas.

August 29, 2017 - Bloomberg

The 'Steady Decline' of Suburban America

Al Jazeera created a video that documents the decline of suburbia.

August 14, 2017 - Al Jazeera

The Mall in Columbia

A Suburban Success Story

The suburban, master planned community of Columbia, Maryland is many of the things urbanists hope their cities will become.

August 2, 2017 - The Washington Post

Trump Administration

Is There Space for Planning in Trump's News Cycle?

An analysis of Planetizen traffic in the first six months of the Trump Administration reveals an audience still focused, despite so many distractions, on the future of communities.

August 1, 2017 - James Brasuell

New York City

The Great Debate: Are Liberal Cities Good or Bad for the Country?

A contentious debate broke out this week, after a pundit proposed breaking up the consolidation of economic and political power of the country's liberal cities.

March 30, 2017 - The New York Times

Population Decline in the Latest Census Estimates

Not only are suburbs growing, many of the larger, older cities that had reversed decades of population decline, are now losing population, again. The biggest losers: counties with the greatest population densities.

March 28, 2017 - Governing

Suburban School Crossing

New Census Data Confirms: Suburban Areas Lead U.S. Growth

Post-recession population growth in the United States looks a lot like pre-recession growth in the United States. As some have predicted or already noticed: the story of U.S. growth is still suburban.

March 23, 2017 - FiveThirtyEight

Survey Finds Surprising Generation Trends in the Real Estate Market

Generation X is barnstorming the market, so to speak, and Millennials and Baby Boomers might be swapping their perspectives on the urban, suburban divide.

March 12, 2017 - Realtor

Evanston, Illinois

Know of Any 'Suburbs in Name Only'?

No cities are entirely urban, or even similar from one neighborhood to the next. The Corner Side Yard has some fun thinking about which Chicago neighborhoods we "Chicago in Name Only" and which of its suburbs are "Suburbs in Name Only."

February 6, 2017 - The Corner Side Yard

Elderly

All Communities Must Address the 'Housing Crisis for Seniors'

A call to action to change the paradigm of planning and development to better serve an aging nation.

January 30, 2017 - The New York Times

New to the Suburbs Near Philadelphia: Thousands of Upscale Apartments

Philadelphia suburbs are competing in the regional real estate market by adding thousands of apartments and other amenities traditionally found in more urban settings.

January 8, 2017 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Suburbia

'Revealed Preference' Can't Explain the Shortage of Urban Housing Options

A familiar argument of suburban apologists is that people prefer suburban environments over urban environments. Joe Cortright reminds us, however, that "revealed preference" doesn't tell the whole story.

November 10, 2016 - City Observatory

Highway

How Self-Driving Cars Could Lead to More Sprawl

Much of the focus on the potential of self-driving cars to effect change in the built environment has focused on dense, urban environments. But what is self-driving cars mostly enable continued outward expansion?

June 20, 2016 - The Wall Street Journal

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Top Books

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Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.