Cities grow faster than suburbs in 2011
For the first time in a century, most of America's largest cities are growing at a faster rate than their surrounding suburbs, reports an AP article on census figures from 2011. AP attributes this to a weak job market that is dampening home buying, but the report also acknowledges the strong generational preference for urban living. "Primary cities in large metropolitan areas with populations of more than 1 million grew by 1.1 percent last year, compared with 0.9 percent in surrounding suburbs," AP reports. More than two-thirds of cities above 250,000 also showed faster growth in the last year than the previous decade. A big question: Will this last? Our take: Land availability will eventually allow suburbs to retake the lead in growth, but the preference for urban living will remain.
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