People supporting suburban sprawls use recent figures of the declining population of most major cities as proof that suburbanization of America continues. Unfortunately, figures do not tell the entire story. With governments turning towards austerity and refocusing on sustainable development, it is curious that one study shows, on the contrary, the downtowns of american cities actually growing. Yes, this does mean that cities are shrinking but more people are turning towards denser areas. Areas where people can walk or take public transportation to work, to the grocery store, to wherever they are headed.
This isn't anything new. The cities that we know of today all began as dense settlements and slowly became centers of commerce, education, and the arts. Cities in Western Europe or Eastern Asia have always been the heartbeat of the country. It was during the baby-boomer generation that America saw people moving away from the city and creating large suburban sprawls. (especially in places like southern California) This led to the decay of cities (New York and Los Angeles during the 70's and 80's were thought of as very dangerous places, ridden with crime and gangs) and a flourishing of small towns and a car-centered life. But before I offer my criticism of such a lifestyle, I will say that the suburban life is indeed nice and comfortable. Suburbs offer much more space and are safer and cleaner than cities. One could actually own property and a home for much less.
There will always be suburbs and even rural areas, and I do believe that there is a place for them. My only qualm is that the suburbanization of America was not a sustainable lifestyle for such a large group and now my generation will have to deal with its consequences. Because of voracious appetites for houses, developers built and people bought even if they couldn't afford it and the housing market crashed. Because the baby-boomers worked hard (which is a good thing), they thought they deserved generous retirement benefits and pensions (a bad thing and perhaps has nothing with urban or suburban life but I still want to include it), governments are bankrupt. Because of the car-centered life, we've become dependent on gas and the price continues to climb. This doesn't seem sustainable.
One allure of the suburbs was the ability to own a home and actually make money. It seems that many (here, here, here, here) (though arguable) are saying that what we saw in the last half of 20th century will never happen again. They say many in this generation will not be able to ever own a home. Some critics are optimistic that the housing market will come back up. People will always need a place to live they say. The one thing they don't take into consideration is that housing markets do go up when the job market in that particular area goes up as well. And unfortunately, that most likely will not be ameliorated anytime soon.
Many educated people of the post-baby-boomer generation are choosing to stay in cities because it offers many things that they did not experience as kids. They see the cities as an exciting place, where one can meet people, try new foods, and go to art shows and concerts. They do not need to drive as often. Thus, we are seeing a revitalization of cities. Go to New York and see how exciting of a place it is.
Washington recently opened up the Office of Urban Affairs in order to address sustainable urban living. They want to see more public transportation and better school systems in the cities. (here, here) Cities in return are investing heavily in railway. Inner city school problems are constantly being addressed. (Though we still have to wait and see whether anything happens at this time) Perhaps we will lose our individual space and landscaped yards but in the long run, I believe that our government is focusing on the right things. I do hope that people can see that we need to sacrifice our personal desires for the greater good of the society.
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