Who needs the city? Not the booming ‘burbs

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – June 6, 2007 – The traditional urban model of the central city serving as an economic and cultural center hub for the suburbs is fast disappearing in many areas of the country.

Instead, suburbs are growing into little cities of their own, building their own entertainment, shopping, and cultural outlets to support their booming populations, says Robert Lang, director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech in Alexandria, Va.

Lang spoke at the Urban Land Institute’s recent spring meeting in Chicago. He outlined trends such as edgeless cities, megapolitans, and “boomburgs” shaping cities today.

What’s a Boomburg?

Boomburgs are towns that until recently have been more suburb than city. They are not the core city of a region – “think North Las Vegas, not Las Vegas,” says Lang – but they do have more than 100,000 residents and have experienced double digit population growth since 1970.

“That’s where the growth is,” Lang says. “Boomburgs have lots of new development, both Greenfield and infill, and they are the source of infrastructure investment ... light rail systems, regional rails, airports and freeways. Boomburgs are booming.”

Since they offer a mix of uses and housing choices, boomburgs are also an indication of a positive new dimension in land use. Rather than contributing to sprawl, boomburgs offer the potential of “remaking the American metropolis through more compact development that accommodates growth while conversing land,” Lang said.

Edgeless Cities

Another trend, according to Lang, is the emergence of edgeless cities, or metros with indeterminate boundaries sometimes covering up to hundreds of miles. A good indicator of edgeless city growth is the location of office space. Nearly 40 percent of U.S. office space is now located in edgeless cities; traditional downtowns account for 33 percent. Miami, which has 72 percent of its office space in edgeless areas, leads this trend. Boston, Denver, Detroit, and Philadelphia, all have more than half their office space in the outermost areas.

An offshoot of edgeless cities are megapolitans, which Lang describes as “two or more metropolitan areas with anchor principal cities between 50 and 200 miles apart in which residents from one city work in the other.”

Rising gas prices and growing “carbon consciousness” among consumers will add to the push for denser development in the suburbs, according to ULI Senior Resident Fellow John McIlwain.

Source: Realtor® Magazine Online, Camilla McLaughlin

© 2007 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

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