To different degrees, yes. It happens in other areas of public life too. Public schools and healthcare systems are good examples. When wealthy people leave in p

To different degrees, yes. It happens in other areas of public life too. Public schools and healthcare systems are good examples. When wealthy people leave in preference for exclusive alternatives, the whole system suffers from their absence. There is probably a name for this phenomenon. It's a sort of reverse tragedy of the commons. > Cities are full of crime so people with money move to the suburbs where it is safer. I think this was happening most in the middle of last century. Now, inner-city areas around the world are being gentrified by wealthy people that (I believe) recognise the lack of communal life afforded by suburbs - things such as the day to day passing of friends and strangers in the street, at the local cafe or shops, and a generally higher level of engagement that's possible when you spend less of your 'public' time in a vehicle.