The beginning of the end for suburbia? (Denver, Boulder: real estate, homes)

[steveindenver]

Life on the fringes of U.S. suburbia becomes untenable with rising gas costs - International Herald Tribune

[Sockeye]

If current trends continue without a "Plan B", yes. I especially like that they chose Elizabeth as an example.

[EscapeCalifornia]

I'd rather live in a suburb, drive a golf cart to a train station for a trip to work than live in a crowded, noisy, urban area. There's a reason suburbs sprung up in the first place.

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

I'd rather live in a suburb, drive a golf cart to a train station for a trip to work than live in a crowded, noisy, urban area. There's a reason suburbs sprung up in the first place.

agree. there will always be people that favor the burbs. they're generally called people with kids and/or dogs that want yards and less people to worry about all around them.

working from home is the next big step as businesses look to drop real estate costs to turn profits. ive been doing it for a while now. rarely use my car. have safeway deliver the groceries so as not to disturb my work and play time. doesnt matter where i live in that environment, so im happy with the quiet pace of the burbs

[Bradburn1]

Will this be a moot point when/if someone invents a totally green car? An electric that plugs into a photovolatic array for example? One of the reasons I moved to a walkable neighborhood served by public transit was to save on energy, but I also moved here because I find it much more livable--I HATE driving and reducing it as much as possible is a quality of life issue for my family.

[rybert]

We're just grasping @ straws... the idea that the suburbs (as we know them) will exist in the distant future is a little ridiculous. Electric tech will help out greatly, but we will still be living in node cities, with an emphasis on the city-center.

Invest in the railroads (unless they are sold to other countries).

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Bradburn1

Will this be a moot point when/if someone invents a totally green car? An electric that plugs into a photovolatic array for example? One of the reasons I moved to a walkable neighborhood served by public transit was to save on energy, but I also moved here because I find it much more livable--I HATE driving and reducing it as much as possible is a quality of life issue for my family.

I used to like driving. Then I drove to and from work in Orange County for 10 years. Now, not so much. I guess I just view it as time wasted, plus it's frustrating. If a train would take me to work, I'd be all over it. As it is, my job is only 9 mi. from home, plus I usually work from home two days per week, so there are days my car doesn't move.

[Katarina Witt]

There has to be someplace for us all to live. Denver's boundaries are fixed; it would take a huge increase in density to move everyone into the city. Plus, there are three large employment centers in the suburbs: DTC, Interlocken (Broomfield) and Boulder.

Boulder No. 2 among 'cybercities' : Local Business : Boulder Daily Camera (http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/jun/24/boulder-no-2-among-cybercities/ - broken link)

[DenverAztec]

Keep in mind that even if we all drove electric cars or took a trail to work, Surburbanites will still need to heat their homes and light their McMansions. Having an in-home theater, a pool and 10 bedrooms would be great, but is it really feasible economically and ecologically? Huge lawns are a waste of water, not to mention plumbing it all the way out to the sticks. Suburbia will never come to an end as there will always be a demand for it, but it is about to change for those who can no longer afford it.

[Katarina Witt]

And most who live in suburbia do not have 10 bedroom homes with theaters, and huge lots. There is a thread here about how hard it is to find a home with a decent sized yard in metro Denver. The average lot size seems to be about 5000-8000 sq ft (1/8 to about 1/5 acre).