“Many low-density suburbs and McMansion subdivisions, including some that are lovely and affluent today, may become what inner cities became in the 1960s and ’70s — slums characterized by poverty, crime and decay"

So says Christopher B. Leinberger, an urban land use expert, in a recent essay in The Atlantic Monthly. While that dark vision is not shared by all observers, it's clear to most that "change or die" is still the operative phrase.

Outlying suburban homes in many parts of the U.S. are now worth less than the materials that went into building them. The cycle is that homeowners have no incentive to invest in their homes and banks won’t finance renovations anyway. Homeowners with a choice move away, leaving behind those who can’t afford to live anywhere else. Crime and decay isn’t far behind.

The answer: Make communities, not subdivisions. Create walkable cities, which appeal to up-and-coming homebuyers:

On the flip side, the trend to walkable urbanism is driven by those in their 20s and 30s, who don’t want to spend their disposable income on cars and crave high-density and fast-paced downtown living. A whole lot of experts — perhaps Richard Florida best known among them — say for cities to thrive, they have to cater to young, creative workers who are sought after by the employees of the knowledge economy.

But baby boomers, singles, childless couples and empty nesters are also looking for interesting urban living in droves. And their proportion of the population is rising.

This is the challenge that the city of Franklin faces right now. How will local leadership respond?

Read more at:

Fuel Prices Shift Math for Life in Far Suburbs

TheSpec - Walkability and the new urbanism

Comments

[Scott Thinnes]

Biff Tannen for Franklin Mayor!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE4WQOj0BWw

[Bryan]

So John, would this be anything like the old Victorian mansions that we see in community's like Whitewater,Milwaukee, Dubuque, IA or any older city that had quality (founder built) homes that have been left to disrepair over time. Shows like This Old House love to feature their restoration but it seems like this is a reoccurring trend in any community. You see old houses with incredible hardwood woodwork and other features that even the current McMansions can't afford to replicate are left to rot. Aren't we doomed to this reoccurring problem again and again? Because people just want NEW in their cocoon!

[John Michlig]

I think what is happening (and what will happen increasingly) is that

A) The recent trend toward huge square footage at the expense of any kind of quality building materials and methods is making itself known as these cardboard McMansions begin to deteriorate, and;

B) People who "overbought" -- and even some who didn't -- are finding themselves unable to deal with repair and maintanance.

Already you can see people letting that semi annual paint job go an extra year. Soon, houses and lots left for sale over many months/years will begin to be overgrown.

At the same time, people are obstinately unwilling to see their tax rate go up to the extent necessary to maintain city services and rehabilitate a suburban landscape that is inhospitable to the growing number of carless people we will see very, very soon. Add that to our governor's generational mistake of gold-plating freeways rather than embracing rail and infrastructure (streets) improvements, and you have a recipe for sharp decline.

[Jason Tinkey]

Much like West Garfield Park in Chicago. A century ago, it was an upper-middle-class Jewish neighborhood. Those beautiful old greystone mansions were barely fifty years old when disinvestment and white flight set in. The irony is, even though a lot of those buildings have seen some hard times and years of neglect, many of them will probably still be standing after the ticky-tack McMansions outlive their life cycle.

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