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Suburbs - The new ghetto?

4K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  MauiV 
#1 ·
Some have theorized that the cost of oil will put an end to suburban life, which is highly dependent on the personal automobile. Even before gas prices spiked, many city centers have been undergoing a renaissance and people with means have been moving downtown for easy access to entertainment and shorter commutes.

So, if the middle class end up living in more densely populated urban buildings, does this mean the suburbs will turn into ghettos?

It seems that the poor wouldn't be able to live out there either, due to the cost of transportation. So really, wouldn't that just make suburbia a place for the very wealthy, not the very poor?

I read a local blog about city life in St Louis, and the guy has no problem bashing those of us living out in the county (http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/) all the while ignoring our vastly lower crime rates, better schools, and extensive shopping choices.

He's right about one thing though -- fuel costs are putting a pinch on my way of life. But I believe its only going to affect people living on the edge of what they can afford, not people actually living within their means. Those people needed to downsize their lifestyles anyway.

So will suburbs become slums? I seriously doubt it. But new homes will be harder to sell without connections to mass transit.
 
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#2 ·
So will suburbs become slums? I seriously doubt it. But new homes will be harder to sell without connections to mass transit.
I agree. Those with lesser income will always stay in the most urban areas possible, mainly due to the lower property values. Take Downtown Minneapolis for example. There are many nice, expensive areas down there where it's not uncommon to see brand new Jags, Benzes, Cadillacs, etc etc parked out on the street, and then again, just a few blocks away are areas that you wouldn't dare park a car like that in. Such is the beauty of the downtown areas....short distances between great developmental change.

Not so with Suburbs, atleast the newest ones where they planned ahead and zoned it cautiously. In the Minneapolis/St Paul area, the closest suburbs to the main cities are the ones that usually have the lowest property values. The farther out you go, the higher values go. The town I was born into is a 1st tier suburb on the skirts of St. Paul. When I lived there, the part that bordered St. Paul was the rough area, where all the lower income folks (ghetto) lived. In the last 10 years since I've moved out, it's spread out from St. Paul and the city is trying to fight that with urban renewal, and it's helping, but it won't stop it. The city I live in now is a 3rd tier suburb of St. Paul, so we've still got some time before property values depreciate so and it becomes more run down.
 
#5 ·
I thought Jersey was a suburb of New York :)

There's still carpooling. But I think people will stick closer to the cities now. We're hoping it will spark more interest in our "inner city" College Hill neighborhood. With the trend today, a lot of people who would/could maintain the area are moving to the suburbs. That should change now to our benefit.
 
#7 ·
Seen the suburban ghetto story about a month or two ago. It makes since, in a way. I disagree with the idea that lower income people will stick to the city. I live downtown in Phoenix, and the housing prices are pushing all the poor out. I've seen many cities with the same thing happening. I'm sure places like my home, Detroit, will remain ghetto... but some city centers are doing quite well.
 
#8 ·
Well then I think the entire state of Florida is pretty much screwed. We're a bit different in that the usual 'city centers' don't really apply. Sure the 'downtown' areas still have big density numbers/skyscrapers/etc, but IMO the typical Floridian doesn't really 'commute' to downtown to go to work everyday. Work may be anywhere, just down the street, or even in a different county, typically may be a good bit of distance away from your house, but not necessarily 'downtown.' If you've spent more then 2 weeks here, you should get what I'm trying to say, just how mixed the industrial, commercial, and residential areas here are.

Heck, all the way from Homestead to a bit past Palm Beach County (125miles) is one huge sprawling area.
 
#13 ·
But... who would be posting on this site needing moderation? :hmm: All we'd be debating is the best way to polish our Caddilac driveway decorations and that could only last so long. And a bag of Fritos (snack size) would be $642 because they'd still use $5000 gas to get it to the store.
 
#14 ·
There are many suburban areas in the U.S. where it is impossible to hire minimum wage labor because nobody working for minimum wage can afford to live anywhere near there and they can't afford to commute. Every business in the area has help wanted signs posted and no takers.
 
#15 ·
It was like that where I lived in Texas 10 years ago. Very large upscale masterplanned community with spoiled kids who arent going to work fast food or bagging groceries.
 
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