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People do live downtown in US cities, but at least since the 1990s when that became popular again after city crime rates fell (for reasons which are still being

People do live downtown in US cities, but at least since the 1990s when that became popular again after city crime rates fell (for reasons which are still being debated today), these housing options (generally condominiums and rowhouses) tend to be very expensive compared to living in the suburbs. So only the upper middle class/upper class can afford it. It's not that unlike the situation in other countries. Living in the center of London or Paris isn't cheap either.

bobthepanda 6y ago
Meh, the US is still kind of odd. European cities tend to be wealthy in the center and less wealthy as you go out. US cities, at least the ones where downtown has turned around, have a donut-shaped wealth distribution; rich downtown, blighted inner-city and inner-ring, outer wealthy suburbs.
- Cullinet 6y ago
  it's also just harder to rebuild and renew any downtown infrastructure, wherever located. in the UK, town centre development has been hindered particularly by the effects of having caused a diverse small business and retail environment to grow around central developments, whose owners have fiercely opposed any disruption that could be created by heavy works, regardless of the importance to their ultimate survival. consider where the central mall provides the only large scale car parking availability for the surrounding areas, like in my home town and the situation in Windsor afaict whenever I visit, which has a large town centre retail district without any suitable parking for the sprawl of retailers outward from the centre complexes. edit splitting to avoid confusion after accidentally posting early : concluding without the argument I originally intended, I suspect that the data is so poorly collected and used that we could very likely find many new ways to revitalise our town centers getting plenty of sensible fresh investment to pursue models we've been simply overlooking

bobthepanda 6y ago

Meh, the US is still kind of odd. European cities tend to be wealthy in the center and less wealthy as you go out. US cities, at least the ones where downtown has turned around, have a donut-shaped wealth distribution; rich downtown, blighted inner-city and inner-ring, outer wealthy suburbs.

Cullinet 6y ago
it's also just harder to rebuild and renew any downtown infrastructure, wherever located. in the UK, town centre development has been hindered particularly by the effects of having caused a diverse small business and retail environment to grow around central developments, whose owners have fiercely opposed any disruption that could be created by heavy works, regardless of the importance to their ultimate survival. consider where the central mall provides the only large scale car parking availability for the surrounding areas, like in my home town and the situation in Windsor afaict whenever I visit, which has a large town centre retail district without any suitable parking for the sprawl of retailers outward from the centre complexes. edit splitting to avoid confusion after accidentally posting early : concluding without the argument I originally intended, I suspect that the data is so poorly collected and used that we could very likely find many new ways to revitalise our town centers getting plenty of sensible fresh investment to pursue models we've been simply overlooking