FOR PEOPLE

found that 80 percent of respondents
would prefer a detached house. 42
This finding reflects an aspirational
preference, since only 65 percent of the
area's households live in single family
houses. Despite four decades of social
engineering intended to attract people
to higher density housing, 13 percent
prefer apartments or condominiums,
well below the actual figure of 28 percent
living in such accommodations. 43
Many times the choice to move to the
suburbs reflects a wish to live in a safer
setting, among other benefits. Generally
speaking, suburbs are safer from property
crime and violent crime. Federal Bureau
of Investigation data indicates that the
violent crime rate in the core cities of
major metropolitan areas has been about
3.4 times that of the suburbs. 44 With
violent crime rising again in many major
cities, including New York, this gap can be
expected to grow. 45
Another key motivation in choosing
the suburbs, especially for families with
children, is frustration with the quality
of urban public education systems. 46
Suburban schools, although not always
great, consistently out-perform those
of inner cities in terms of achievement,
graduation and college entrance. 47
Have Things Changed Since
The Crash?
After the collapse of the housing
2.52.0
bubble, New York Times economics
commentator Paul Krugman suggested 2.01.5
that Americans would shift from owning
1.51.0
suburban homes to renting apartments,
probably in locations close to the city 1.0.5
core. 48 Urban pundit Richard Florida
0.50.0
foresaw the emergence of a new paradigm
Incidence of Property Crime
Incidence of Property Crime
Core & Suburbs: Per 100,000 Residents
Core & Suburbs: Per 100,000 Residents
Crime Rate
Crime Rate
5000
4000
4000
3000
3000
2000
2000
1000
1000
0
Core Municipalities
Suburban Areas
Derived from 0 FBI Statistics: 2013, Major metropolitan areas (average).
Core Municipalities
Suburban Areas
Derived from FBI Statistics: 2013, Major metropolitan areas (average).
Incidence of Violent Crime
Incidence of Violent Crime
Core & Suburbs: Per 100,000 Residents
Crime Rate
Crime Rate
5000
Core & Suburbs: Per 100,000 Residents
1000
1000
800
800
600
600
400
400
200
200
0
Core Municipalities
Suburban Areas
Derived from 0 FBI Statistics: 2013, Major metropolitan areas (average).
Core Municipalities
Suburban Areas
Derived from FBI Statistics: 2013, Major metropolitan areas (average).
Figure 15
that would not only dispel the “suburban
myth,” but eject homeownership itself
from its "long-privileged place" at the
center of the US economy. 49
To be sure, suburban growth slowed in
Figure 15
the immediate aftermath of the recession.
2.5 Yet by 2011-2012 the real estate-tracking
website Trulia reported the between 2011
and 2012, ZIP codes that were less dense
than average grew at double the rate of
those that were more-dense-than-average
in 50 largest metropolitian areas. By 2013,
urban core growth, which had been about
as fast as suburban growth, once again
slipped behind suburbs and exurbs. 50
Figure
Figure
13
13
Figure
Figure
14
14
Exurbs are Growing Faster than Urban Core Again
Exurbs are Growing Faster than Urban Core Again
0.0 -0.5
‘01–‘02 ‘04–‘05 ‘07–‘08 ‘10–‘11 ‘13–‘14
-0.5
BEST CITIES FOR PEOPLE 19
Source: The ‘01–‘02 Brooklings Institution, U.S. ‘04–‘05 Census Bureau ‘07–‘08 ‘10–‘11 ‘13–‘14
Source: The Brooklings Institution, U.S. Census Bureau
Emerging Suburb
Exurb
Emerging Suburb
Exurb
Mature Suburb
Urban Core
Mature Suburb
Urban Core