Originally Posted by
Elkhound
I am told that there are cities whose downtowns were moribund are enjoying a modest resurgance for that reason, and in those same metros some of the suburban office parks are 'enjoying' a high vacancy rate. The same with residential--living near the center of the city is becoming fashionable again, and suburban properties are getting hard to unload. Perhaps, in time, some of the suburbs, or at least the exurbs, will become ghost towns.
I keep hearing that, but see it as more wishful thinking. Yes, some are moving toward the center city. But, there's not the infrastructure or affordable housing to support a massive move to the city and most inner cities remain something less than family friendly. In places like Texas, there is just too much invested in suburban real estate and development. When I look at Houston, living inside the loop is not easy. Shopping, though better than it was a few years ago, for groceries and everyday supplies can drive you crazy. I lived at one time within 3 miles of downtown. To go grocery shopping, my drive was 7 miles. Singles and childless couples may find the lifestyle fine, but it has a ways to go to support much in the way of family living.
Rather than pit the inner city against the suburbs, the better course seems to me to develop transportation alternatives that work for both. Actually, those outlying business centers...and I'm not talking office parks, but more full service "downtown" type centers...serve a good purpose where there is as much sprawl as in most large cities in the Southern corridor have. The problem is linking them together through the transportation network and linking the suburbs with a network that gets residents not only to downtown, but crosstown.