Comments on: The Decline Of Suburbia?

Experts Predict Exodus From Far-Flung Neighborhoods Back To Urban Living

[brianbwb-2009]

A note to the working poor, who could not afford to move out of the inner city, your time has come. Settle for no less than 30 times the appraised value of your home, but if you can at all avoid it, don''t sell.

It is about time the "moneyed class" learned what it feels like to be excluded from a "gated community", then you can say that they are "just lazy people who should get a job".

Speaking of which, the job market might open up a little, as those who can no longer afford to commute leave job openings for current city dwellers. It was their choice to leave the cities, hold them to their decision.

[jeannec3]

Awwwww........ I feel so bad for the Suburbans...NOT !!!!! They still have their high wages to live on. I MIGHT feel bad for them when they have to live on or fight for higher minimum wages. The better you think you are,the more it hurts when the rugs pulled out from under you.

[rogerj12]

The average person hits their peak spending on real estate at age 43. The last of the baby boomers passed that mark 2 years ago. There simply aren''t enough buyers coming in to the housing market to replace the aging boomers on their way out. If you want to buy real estate that won''t depreciate as much, think like a senior citizen. Smaller house, low upkeep yard, single story, close to health care and shopping. The age of extravagance is over. The news isn''t all bad for parents though. The echo boom of kids that has been driving up tuition and grade point requirements in colleges hits it''s peak this year. tuition prices should start leveling off, and schools will have to start competing to bring in the good students.

[rogerj12]

The average person hits their peak spending on real estate at age 43. The last of the baby boomers passed that mark 2 years ago. There simply aren''t enough buyers coming in to the housing market to replace the aging boomers on their way out. If you want to buy real estate that won''t depreciate as much, think like a senior citizen. Smaller house, low upkeep yard, single story, close to health care and shopping. The age of extravagance is over. The news isn''t all bad for parents though. The echo boom of kids that has been driving up tuition and grade point requirements in colleges hits it''s peak this year. tuition prices should start leveling off, and schools will have to start competing to bring in the good students.

[rogerj12]

The average person hits their peak spending on real estate at age 43. The last of the baby boomers passed that mark 2 years ago. There simply aren''t enough buyers coming in to the housing market to replace the aging boomers on their way out. If you want to buy real estate that won''t depreciate as much, think like a senior citizen. Smaller house, low upkeep yard, single story, close to health care and shopping. The age of extravagance is over. The news isn''t all bad for parents though. The echo boom of kids that has been driving up tuition and grade point requirements in colleges hits it''s peak this year. tuition prices should start leveling off, and schools will have to start competing to bring in the good students.

[harp1963]

Dear Greedmonger Republicans,

Raise fuel prices to 20 dollars a gallon, raise food prices to cover the high gas, raise everything else people buy. Your only going to eat into your own excessive profits because no one can afford to live in suburbia or buy your stuff anymore.

Eventually the poor peasants working as slaves in 3rd world countries are going to catch on that you are taking advantage of them and rebel. Then you''ll have to start a war and label them axis of evil rebels. It always goes back to the love of money. Not sharing messes up the whole world.

[nommfan]

This isn''t based on science. Kunstler has been predicting this for fifteen years. A stopped clock is right twice a day so a stopped clock has a record of prediction 10,958 times more accurate than Kunstler.

Most social science is not more scientific than astrology. That goes double for survey research and political polling

[nommfan]

I haven''t watched network news in years but I caught this segment. James Howard Kunstler is some expert. A stopped clock is right twice a day, Kunstler was wrong for fifteen years before he was right. That means that a stopped clock is 10,958 times more accurate than a prediction by Kunstler.

Demography is little better, they keep predicting that what took place in the past will continue to take place. Demographers predicted in the 1940''s that the birthrate would decline in the 1950''s back down to 1930''s levels. Then, in the 1950''s, they predicted that the birthrate would continue to grow and grow.

The sad fact is that social science and survey research polling is no more scientific than astrology.

[drivelphobe]

Jeff..92706

Just hang on. This can''t continue. The illegals and the middle-eastern builders are going to be stopped. The anti-mansionization bill was just signed by the Los Angeles City Council, putting a major crimp in the rogue builder''s style. No more giant persian palaces on small lots which have devastated property values in many suburban neighborhoods all in the name of money grubbing. These scumbag illegals are facing demise as well, but it is miserable living in it. I sympathize with you. Build the *** fence!

[drivelphobe]

If Nichole can''t afford the $800 monthly gas bill, how could she have afforded her home anyway? Gas is higher but what prudent person would cut it that close? Let''s see, 60 miles per day, 300 miles per week, that''s 1300 miles per month, means at $4.00 per gallon, she gets 6.5 miles per gallon. Is she driving a tank? Something stinks here and I think she''s one of the entitlement seeking, mortgage bailout candidates lining up for the goodies. Suburbia is going strong and the high density, mixed-use surburban city development is a con by the city officials to promote tax revenue for the cities. Go to your Neighborhood Council meetings and listen to the BS about the future of mixed use and transit development. Fight back and preserve your neighborhoods before the foreigners mansionize every small lot and ruin your quality of life in the name of solving our housing crisis.

[shanev137]

This article is a no-brainer and just stating the obvious.

It''s not MIT rocket science to figure out that when gas hits $4 to $5 a gallon, the average salary won''t be able to commute very far to work anymore.

[soshljustic]

suburpia is not declining but adapting--- there is a rapidly aging faction of society that must live near their doctors and main hospital centers for care and social services-- I expect the suburban housing will have to decrease in value a little for the newer family centered owners to purchase them while empty nesters move into or nearer the urban core to stay as autinomous and independent as possible without having to rely on the kids so much for help in aging in place. The place is what is changing. Give the younger kids the chance to raise young families in the burbs, and move to the urban center where mass transit and other social services are of avail. What we may be seeing is a generational flip-flop of housing needs and priorities for the future. All things being the same, the current oil crisis is a burp comparative to the aging crisis and inability to get around from suburpia, if you can''t medically drive. Inaccessible mass transit out of suburpia may be the real problem, to youth''s delight that is, if your young and want to start a family out of the concrete jungle.

[barbaram99]

I voted for Canter and I really liked him as a person and the platform. This is the year we we vote. Frankly I am not impressed with the men running. Trully I am not. The fools did not listen and wanted bush in there . He is not president in my eye. Ye don''t whine to the point where they hand it to him/ It should have been Gole. It should be Kerry. They got the office. Bush whined.

[nothappyatall]

Nichole Cinaglia plans to rent near her job. "

Yeah, you and 20,000 others all cueing up for the few available apartments in buildings that have vacancies only when tenants DIE- GOOD LUCK!!!

When landlords have 100 people all applying to rent ONE apartment, what do you think will happen to those rents?
What do you think will happen when current tenant''s leases EXPIRE and suddenly the landlord realizes due to severe demand and shortages he can charge $2500 a month for the apartment he WAS renting the last 5 years for $450

Nichole may wish she was back in her old house paying $800 a month for gas, cause her RENT in an apartment may very well be higher.

[jdicecco]

I think this theory is over done. If there is a mass migration to urban areas, the urban land value will increase. Lower income people will be forced to move farther out - away from mass transportation.

[skeezix06]

Believe it or not, there are some small industries out in the sticks. Life doesn''t exist solely in the big cities.

The book is long on fantasy and short on reality. There is not enough and never will be enough housing to allow people to live next door to whichever company they work for, the schools their kids attend, and the grocery stores they need to stop at. If you''re living in the big city and driving to work, the main difference is the scenery you pass through as you get to work. You''re still putting just about as many miles on the car. Fact is, living away from town, you tend to plan your trips. The impulse to drive and shop isn''t nearly as strong as it would be if you lived in town and shopping was more convenient.

By the way, do you and your spouse work at the same company and live within walking distance because if you don''t, you''re guilty of being inefficient and using too much of our resources. And then there''s the kids schools. Are you within walking distance of their elementary, middle and high schools?

Also, if you and your wife don''t live within walking distance of both your jobs, one of you should probably just quit and get hired on at your spouse''s employer. It''s either that or get a divorce. (Just helping you rearrange your life).

I was looking at all your happy little appartment/condo/townhouse building projects though and wondering if this was thought up as a way to stimulate the housing industry and also a future Cabrini Green or some other slum.

[pollroller1]

You think things are bad now, if we have a Democrat controlled house and senate and a Democrat for president, it will get a lot worse. Those guys and gals will have a field day passing all kinds of stupid bills and all it will do is raise our taxes. By the way, I am a Democrat.

[sepa2]

Soviets tumbled from superpower status (despite having tons of natural wealth) due to lethargy of communism. The day cheap power is gone would be the end of America''s superpower status. All those so called patriots (like Reagan)built military to counter all imagenary threats, some created to benefit special interests. Only Carter in his 1979 energy policy saw the real threat as it is. But to many he is not a patriot. Now only option we have is to intimidate oil barrens militarily to get cheap energy.

[jchapline]

Going back to the news story... I didn''t hear anything about rewriting the constitution or the Bible. And I didn''t hear anyone suggest that everyone has to move to the city. (Although city living is much better than most posters here seem to think.) This is about changing economics, mostly the economics of automobile use. We had rural and suburban communities before cars. I don''t think many people considered it a defeat for America when trolley tracks were torn up and new roads and subdivisions were built. I don''t see any reason to consider it a defeat now if that development strategy doesn''t make sense any more.

[hypnotoad72]

anyone else who doesnt believe now that the middle class is being destroyed?

Posted by ainttaken
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Nope. We''re building middle classes in other countries. Why would we destroy our own while building others? Makes NO sense.

And before you say it, all the H1Bs and such don''t have qualms coming here either. So it''s not slavery or anything else.