What is not to like about affordable housing and good schools? I think there is too much emphasis in these discussions on 99%-invisible style urban design and n

What is not to like about affordable housing and good schools? I think there is too much emphasis in these discussions on 99%-invisible style urban design and not enough on the simple socio-economic calculus the average homeowner does when deciding where to live. It doesn't matter how walkable your neighborhood is, how broad the restaurant selection, how ethnically diverse the community, or how many different forms of public transportation there are, if the perception is that housing is expensive and schools are bad, many people are not going to move in, even if they would otherwise enjoy those amenities. Until urban areas can meaningfully compete on those two metrics for the average person in the U.S., the suburbs are here to stay.