5 ms·

I think it ebs and flows. When my parents were my age, it was the biggish cities, and then you had these bustling towns. Then as intown went bad with crime, etc

I think it ebs and flows. When my parents were my age, it was the biggish cities, and then you had these bustling towns. Then as intown went bad with crime, etc. everyone moved out and created a new "rich" area. Now the rich area is moving back downtown. In decades to come, when the rich own all there is of the town, then people will keep pushing further and further out, until they create new big cities. tl;dr: There's a lot of land out there and living cycles will repeat.

ghaff 9y ago
There's a current trend among a certain demographic (that tends to align fairly well with the writers for coastal pubs and the readers of sites such as this) to prefer living in the urban cores of a handful of coastal US cities. But the assumption that this represents some inevitable long-term trend seems questionable--including among the same individuals once they have kids they want to send to good, safe schools. Furthermore, look at trends like autonomous vehicles. Personally I think a lot of people are way optimistic on the timeframes, But if you can really go "RoboJames, take us to the opera!" or "Pick up our groceries!" a lot of the attraction of actually living in a crowded noisy location starts to go away.
- jshaqaw 9y ago
  NYC has plenty of very good very safe public schools. Gone (at least for now) is the need to move to the burbs or pay up private for that.
- closeparen 9y ago
  There's nothing inherent in high population density that makes schools bad or unsafe.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    There are many reasons that families often prefer locations outside of cities (backyards, larger properties, etc.) but, in general, urban public schools in the US are a mixed bag relative to affluent suburbs. Of course, there are good urban schools but quality varies a lot and it can be a lottery to get a child into a particular school.
- malandrew 9y ago
  Not only do SDCs offer that benefit, they also have the potential of making the city center more accessible from the suburbs. Imagine living in sonoma county and being able to summon an Uber pod that will whisk you to the city at high speeds while you do your own thing in comfort such as read or watch your favorite show.
kilroy123 9y ago
I actually worry a lot about self-driving cars. I think they'll lead to more urban sprawl. Since it won't be a big deal to live out far away. Commuting will be much faster on a freeway filled with autonomous cars moving quickly, and you able to just sit back and enjoy the ride. I think this will ultimately lead to the US becoming far more conservative. Large cities are traditionally much more liberal areas.
- cortesoft 9y ago
  Right, but I think that has a lot to do with interacting with a large, diverse, group of people in your day to day life. Won't this still be true for people who live in the country but commute to the city every day?
- ghaff 9y ago
  In general, a lot of the same politics apply to the suburbs and exurbs of large cities as the downtown cores. (There are differences based on wealth but it's not a clear liberal/conservative split.) I'd also note that a lot of jobs are not actually in cities but in suburban and exurban areas. In the Boston area, for example, I expect the majority of tech jobs are outside of the cities in spite of a significant increase in recent years.
- kcorbitt 9y ago
  If I were investing in property today, I'd be buying waterfront property a 45-60 minute drive away from a vibrant coastal city. I agree with you that self-driving cars will increase sprawl -- people will feel less of a need to live in the city center if they can still get there with little expense or fuss. Having views of the water, on the other hand, will be just as attractive as ever, and may replace living downtown as a symbol of wealth.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    By and large those locations are already pretty expensive. Marin County and Half Moon Bay in California are no bargains. Even further out, nor is Santa Cruz. The North and South Shores of Massachusetts are pretty expensive as well.

ghaff 9y ago

There's a current trend among a certain demographic (that tends to align fairly well with the writers for coastal pubs and the readers of sites such as this) to prefer living in the urban cores of a handful of coastal US cities. But the assumption that this represents some inevitable long-term trend seems questionable--including among the same individuals once they have kids they want to send to good, safe schools. Furthermore, look at trends like autonomous vehicles. Personally I think a lot of people are way optimistic on the timeframes, But if you can really go "RoboJames, take us to the opera!" or "Pick up our groceries!" a lot of the attraction of actually living in a crowded noisy location starts to go away.

jshaqaw 9y ago
NYC has plenty of very good very safe public schools. Gone (at least for now) is the need to move to the burbs or pay up private for that.
closeparen 9y ago
There's nothing inherent in high population density that makes schools bad or unsafe.
- ghaff 9y ago
  There are many reasons that families often prefer locations outside of cities (backyards, larger properties, etc.) but, in general, urban public schools in the US are a mixed bag relative to affluent suburbs. Of course, there are good urban schools but quality varies a lot and it can be a lottery to get a child into a particular school.
malandrew 9y ago
Not only do SDCs offer that benefit, they also have the potential of making the city center more accessible from the suburbs. Imagine living in sonoma county and being able to summon an Uber pod that will whisk you to the city at high speeds while you do your own thing in comfort such as read or watch your favorite show.

kilroy123 9y ago

I actually worry a lot about self-driving cars. I think they'll lead to more urban sprawl. Since it won't be a big deal to live out far away. Commuting will be much faster on a freeway filled with autonomous cars moving quickly, and you able to just sit back and enjoy the ride. I think this will ultimately lead to the US becoming far more conservative. Large cities are traditionally much more liberal areas.

cortesoft 9y ago
Right, but I think that has a lot to do with interacting with a large, diverse, group of people in your day to day life. Won't this still be true for people who live in the country but commute to the city every day?
ghaff 9y ago
In general, a lot of the same politics apply to the suburbs and exurbs of large cities as the downtown cores. (There are differences based on wealth but it's not a clear liberal/conservative split.) I'd also note that a lot of jobs are not actually in cities but in suburban and exurban areas. In the Boston area, for example, I expect the majority of tech jobs are outside of the cities in spite of a significant increase in recent years.
kcorbitt 9y ago
If I were investing in property today, I'd be buying waterfront property a 45-60 minute drive away from a vibrant coastal city. I agree with you that self-driving cars will increase sprawl -- people will feel less of a need to live in the city center if they can still get there with little expense or fuss. Having views of the water, on the other hand, will be just as attractive as ever, and may replace living downtown as a symbol of wealth.
- ghaff 9y ago
  By and large those locations are already pretty expensive. Marin County and Half Moon Bay in California are no bargains. Even further out, nor is Santa Cruz. The North and South Shores of Massachusetts are pretty expensive as well.