The Good Life, Just Beyond

If forced to compare an ice cream flavor with suburbia, many would pick vanilla. Yet, as Amanda Kolson Hurley writes in her new book, Radical Suburbs: Experimental Living on the Fringes of the American City, this is just one of many “misinformed clichés” about these peripheral communities.
Urban Poverty circa 1874

The New Shame of Our Cities

by Joel Kotkin — Urban revival views are more aspirational, than reflective of reality. Overall, data suggests that, with few exceptions, we are seeing continued movement from our large cities to suburbs and less dense cities.
Merced, California — now part of Bay Area Sprawl

Anti-“Sprawl” Bay Area Leads Expanding Metropolitan Regions

by Wendell Cox — This article examines metropolitan regions based on Office of Budget & Management boundaries. It illustrates that, despite the desires of planners and environmentalists to limit “sprawl”, labor markets continue to expand their footprint, particularly in the most regulated regions such as the Bay Area.
Photo Credit: LoneStarMike (Wikipedia Commons)

The Tech Economy’s Untold Story

by Joel Kotkin — Trends in tech economy job creation are not nearly as favorable to the “superstars” as some urbanists imagine. If one looks at data, a more nuanced picture emerges...
METRONext Moving Forward Plan A Plus

Metro’s Big Plan Spends Too Much on Light Rail, But Moves in the Right Direction

by Tory Gattis — METRO recently released a draft $7.5 billion 2040 transit plan they’ve labeled “A Plus” (the previous “A” plan plus some additions), but unfortunately it’s more like a B- when it comes to addressing Houston’s real transportation needs over the next two decades.
Dilworth, a suburb of Charlotte, NC

Suburbs and Exurbs Dominate Mid-Decade Millennial Growth

by Wendell Cox — America’s suburbs and exurbs continue to dominate population growth among post-college Millennials, those aged 25 to 34 in the 53 major metropolitan areas.
Boston,MA—Urban Back Bay

How Much Density is Enough?

by Randal O'Toole — Portland New Urbanist Joe Cortright has rarely seen a high-density development he didn’t like. Most recently, he argues that the reason why most most people live in suburbs is that they are forced to do so by evil zoning rules that prohibit that densities that people actually prefer.
Residential rooftop solar panels

California Must Stop Trying to Stomp Out Suburbia

by Joel Kotkin — A suburban housing recovery after the Great Recession has been hampered, in large part, by tough regulations. By 2017, California metros like Los Angeles-Orange and even the Bay Area were producing housing at lower rates than...
Aerial view of suburbs

The Battle for Houston

by Joel Kotkin — America’s most opportunity-rich city faces a long-term challenge from “smart-growth” advocates pushing for more regulation.
Millennials Community Search

Millennials Reinvent Localism in Their Search for Community

by Anne Snyder — It’s common knowledge that millennials long for "community." What’s less understood is the concrete expression of that longing in cities and suburbs across America...