especially those along rail lines

3:01 PM 3/4/2008

especially those along rail lines

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200803/subprime.


Builders and developers tend to notice big price imbalances, and they are
working to accommodate demand for urban living. New lofts and condo complexes
have popped up all over many big cities. Suburban towns built in the 19th and
early 20th centuries, featuring downtown street grids at their core, have seen
a good deal of “in-filling” in recent years as well, with new condos and town
houses, and renovated small-lot homes just outside their downtowns. And while
urban construction may slow for a time because of the present housing bust, it
will surely continue. Sprawling, large-lot suburbs become less attractive as
they become more densely built, but urban areas—especially those well served by
public transit—become more appealing as they are filled in and built up.
Crowded sidewalks tend to be safe and lively, and bigger crowds can support
more shops, restaurants, art galleries.
But developers are also starting to find ways to bring the city to newer
suburbs—and provide an alternative to conventional, car-based suburban life.
“Lifestyle centers”—walkable developments that create an urban feel, even when
built in previously undeveloped places—are becoming popular with some builders.
They feature narrow streets and small storefronts that come up to the sidewalk,
mixed in with housing and office space. Parking is mostly hidden underground or
in the interior of faux city blocks.
But much of the future decline is likely to occur on the fringes, in towns far
away from the central city, not served by rail transit, and lacking any real
core. In other words, some of the worst problems are likely to be seen in some
of the country’s more recently developed areas—and not only those inhabited by
subprime-mortgage borrowers. Many of these areas will become magnets for
poverty, crime, and social dysfunction.
Despite this glum forecast for many swaths of suburbia, we should not lose
sight of the bigger picture—the shift that’s under way toward walkable urban
living is a healthy development. In the most literal sense, it may lead to
better personal health and a slimmer population. The environment, of course,
will also benefit: if New York City were its own state, it would be the most
energy-efficient state in the union; most Manhattanites not only walk or take
public transit to get around, they unintentionally share heat with their
upstairs neighbors.