911
“If people didn’t like suburbia, millions wouldn’t live there” is a popular argument defending the car-dependent, sprawling suburbs. However, a recent study comparing Atlanta and Boston proves otherwise.
In Boston, 83% of people with strong preferences for urban neighborhoods lived in one, compared to just 48% in Atlanta. The study concludes people live in suburbia due to a lack of urban neighborhoods, scarcity of affordable homes and restrictive land use laws.
Before focusing efforts and dollars on the suburbs, let’s understand why suburbs are gaining millions of residents and how to increase availability of affordable, pedestrian-friendly urban neighborhoods.