Trending Towards Suburbia

The nature of suburbs is changing. In an article written in The Economist, the authors explore growth trends in inter-city, suburban, and rural areas. The general consensus? Globally, suburbs are growing in places of wealth. The article’s author argues that there are three main reasons for the attraction: space, schools, and safety. Suburban systems foster better school systems than their inter-city counterparts, where lack of resources plague impoverished districts.

But that isn’t the only change. The article points out that we are moving toward the era of “consumer suburbs and consumer villages” where suburbs are built around central locations such as shopping complexes where amenities are aplenty. The same thing has happened with cities: while cities have “long been recognized as efficient machines for production, [they] are also good for consumption.” San Francisco is an excellent example, where more people are drawn to the wonderful amenities moreso than to closer proximity to jobs. The distinction between suburbs and cities is transitioning from who-has-more-space-and-amenities to who-can-buy-more-stuff; in essence, the physical distinctions are dissolving.

Will it be possible to maintain the distinctive characteristics that define urban and suburban areas? That is up to our architects, developers, and planners to design.

Do you agree the distinction between urban and suburban areas is dissolving? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Can’t get enough? Check out this article’s take on The Economist.