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Walkable neighborhoods and moderate density are not for "urban areas only." This should be a feature of most communities in a metro area, suburban or not. It is more pleasant when you can meet your needs easily in your neighborhood and not have to drive all the time.
We are certainly in agreement on that. And in point of fact, most suburbs in my area are "moderate density" in the sense that the houses are built on small lots; there's plenty of multi-family housing in the suburbs; there is usally a small strip mall that one can walk to from one's home.
It depends upon your definition of what urban means.
Under some definitions, urban pretty much does mean walkable. So, for example, a town of barely 5,000 people isolated in the woods can be urban, at least in its business district.
Looks like a tourist trap to me! Maybe Beaver Falls should try that, after all, it's the home of Joe Namath. Jim Thorpe is touristy because of the athlete Jim Thorpe. I thought they changed their name back to Mauch Chunk?
Jim Thorpe is touristy because of the athlete Jim Thorpe. I thought they changed their name back to Mauch Chunk?
Jim Thorpe has a lot of other things in its favor besides just the name. It made a comeback several decades after being renamed. The level of architecture in and around Broadway is amazing for a town of its size. Plus the borough now has many outdoor recreation sites (paintball, white water rafting, etc) around its fringes. But it is essentially a tourist trap.
More likely you will see single seniors moving out of their 3 bedroom/2 bath with a yard into small urban apartments.
Then the young families will move out of the small apartments and into the 3b/2b w/ yard.
It will all work out.
I read recently that if builders never built another 3b/2b family home, there is enough existing to take care of future need.
That is assuming two things, people will move to where the houses are and the empty nesters and singles will move out of the big family homes.
Why do you think that seniors are going to want to move into these tiny units unless they too poor to afford better, especially if they lived most of their lives in suburban settings? Being a senior citizen, I can tell you I have absolutely no desire to live in a single room masquerading as an apartment, especially in a crowded, noisy urban area filled with concrete and asphalt.
If I decide to sell my house, I'll move into a senior apartment complex where I can have a one or two bedroom apartment with a real kitchen, a patio or porch, in-unit laundry, and an elevator. They have a number of these, and they're in nice parts of town, including in some walkable areas, and many have community gardens, quiet landscaped grounds, buses for shopping excursions, etc among other amenities.
We are certainly in agreement on that. And in point of fact, most suburbs in my area are "moderate density" in the sense that the houses are built on small lots; there's plenty of multi-family housing in the suburbs; there is usally a small strip mall that one can walk to from one's home.
Many suburbs are like this; the problem is, there is little to no infrastructure for anyone who wants to walk. The design of the area encourages driving and discourages walking, meaning you basically can only drive.
Amusing. So cities are actively looking for people who eat out a lot and carouse all night! I guess they really don't want families.
Sorry, what?
1. Why can't families occupy missing middle housing options?
2. Even if they didn't (and by no means is that true) why should cities provide only housing for certain kinds of families?
The missing middle housing are often the cheapest per sf. Families need more space than singles so this would be important for them. In Toronto at least, high-rise condos are too expensive per sf for families but SFHs are too expensive for the middle class due to land costs in central areas of the city. They might also be more comfortable raising their kids in a building where they know all the residents (or are the only residents for row houses) than one with 500 residents.
More likely you will see single seniors moving out of their 3 bedroom/2 bath with a yard into small urban apartments.
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I don't think many senior citizens want to move into the inner cities and deal with parking difficulties and crime and such, not unless its the only thing they can afford. Especially after living their whole lives in the suburbs.
You're right that it will work out, but old people like the peace and quiet, orderly communities like St. Barnabas in the Pittsburgh suburbs where my aunt lived.
We are certainly in agreement on that. And in point of fact, most suburbs in my area are "moderate density" in the sense that the houses are built on small lots; there's plenty of multi-family housing in the suburbs; there is usally a small strip mall that one can walk to from one's home.
There are two things to make this "middle" work: moderate density and a mix of uses in close proximity. The average new burb keeps stuff really separate. Or creates a non-gridded street pattern where you are close as the crow flies, but there is no actually way to get their without a car (no sidewalk! or worse).
This book uses city quite loosely. Really it means stuff in easy walking distance!
I live in a walkable neighborhood, but many of my favorite places are in nearby areas, 2-3 miles away. Just far enough I don't want to use walking as my primary transportation mode. My city does a horrible job in terms of public transit connecting neighborhoods, so I'd drive to those close places. Bike infrastructure has improved a lot, so now I make those trips by bike.
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