USA Today article about downtown Baltimore revival and more people living in big cities across the USA (California: section 8, 2015)

[phoenixmike11]

See ya, suburbs: More want to live in the big city

USA Today article about downtown Baltimore revival and a countrywide shift to living in cities.

and a Sun article about downtown Baltimore's continuing economic improvement

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business...,3363148.story

[Infinite_heights77]

Good piece!

A friend of mine said to me "Harbor East doesn't look like the rest of Baltimore!" I told her vehemently that, "it's not supposed to!" Lol! Smh

[kcmo]

Harbor East could be anywhere though. It looks more like Denver or Portland than Baltimore. But that's okay, whatever it takes and urban areas like Harbor East are needed as much as historic urban areas.

[trickymost]

I don't buy into the "rise of the city" and "end of the suburbs".

It looks very likely two trends are going to accelerate rapidly the next 10 years:

1. Performance, cost and availability of 100% electric cars
2. Self-driving cars

As those two trends take hold, people will stay in the suburbs. If you aren't dependent on gas, who cares what it costs, electric will be cheaper and electric cars easier to maintain.

And as self driving cars become the norm eg on the highway, traffic should become more of a thing of the past as well.

[kharing]

Originally Posted by trickymost

I don't buy into the "rise of the city" and "end of the suburbs".

It looks very likely two trends are going to accelerate rapidly the next 10 years:

1. Performance, cost and availability of 100% electric cars
2. Self-driving cars

As those two trends take hold, people will stay in the suburbs. If you aren't dependent on gas, who cares what it costs, electric will be cheaper and electric cars easier to maintain.

And as self driving cars become the norm eg on the highway, traffic should become more of a thing of the past as well.

Interesting perspective, trickymost! I still bet on cities, though!

I believe this because you forgot to include a major factor: baby boomers. As they age (and there are a bunch of them!) they will not be able to drive or maintain large McMansions. Most are empty nesters searching for a simpler life and want to live in the city relying mainly on public transportation. Try grocery shoppings, going to medical appointments and socializing in the suburbs....taxi cabs would be the only way to accomplish these everyday tasks! We are living longer, and not reproducing babies as quickly.

I see a shift....based on economics. The suburbs are for families - so until hipsters and those with high incomes start reproducing more, the cities will flourish. Section 8 housing is slowing moving out of cities due to gentrification.

[BaltItaly]

The trend will continue. There is only so much room in suburbia for McMansions. It sours me to see so much beautiful land being swallowed up by strip malls and front lawns. And for what? boredom!

[trickymost]

Originally Posted by kharing

Interesting perspective, trickymost! I still bet on cities, though!

I believe this because you forgot to include a major factor: baby boomers. As they age (and there are a bunch of them!) they will not be able to drive or maintain large McMansions. Most are empty nesters searching for a simpler life and want to live in the city relying mainly on public transportation. Try grocery shoppings, going to medical appointments and socializing in the suburbs....taxi cabs would be the only way to accomplish these everyday tasks! We are living longer, and not reproducing babies as quickly.

I see a shift....based on economics. The suburbs are for families - so until hipsters and those with high incomes start reproducing more, the cities will flourish. Section 8 housing is slowing moving out of cities due to gentrification.

I agree about boomers, but a few points to consider.

First, the population is still growing. Boomers can move back to cities and the suburbs can still flourish. It's not a zero sum game.

Second, in place aging is a new trend. A lot of boomers are choosing to retrofit their homes for their later years. With self driving cars, boomers will be able to get around as easily in the burbs as they can in the city. Google should be deploying these fleets of cars in California and a few others states in 2015, I have no doubt they will be mainstream by 2020-2025.

Third, in Maryland anyway, it's getting too expensive for the boomers to retire here. Given the option between moving to say Baltimore and moving to Florida, I'm seeing more and more choose Florida. I hope this gets fixed in the next few years here in Maryland.

Finally, section 8, that's a whole other bird. That trend is actually reversing. A number of studies have shown that the push of section 8 out of urban cores has not led to the desired results. And if section 8 pushes out further into the burbs, then the burbs will push out and create new burbs, and in 20 years someone further out will be having the same argument.

[freeazabird]

Very interesting article. I actually wrote a reaction to this as it relates to specific Baltimore neighborhoods and families here

B'more Bungalow: More People Moving To Big Cities, What Does it Mean for Families?

[Zombie woof]

This is the time for Baltimore nd it's leadership to have a very real and candid converation about the direction of the city.

They MUST figure out a way to fix the schools so people who work, pay taxes, and want to live in the city can educate their children in an atmosphere that promotes learning not social work.

There must be a real effort made to cater this city to tax paying citizens. Not continue to have a tacet glorificatio of mediocrity and crime.

Yes Baltimore, we understand you are primarily known for heroin and crime, but if doesn't have to be that way.

[freeazabird]

Zombie Woof, I'm curious is your comment based on experience with sending your child to a specific Baltimore city school? If so, what school? And what were your exact issues with the school?

The city has in fact been working on some schools. They won a very large grant to renovate/rebuild several city schools in the next few years. My neighborhood school is one of the schools being rebuilt and architecture plans are being drawn up as we speak. I couldn't be more excited. It is a massive undertaking, but seems very promising. My neighborhood school is also in the process of becoming a charter, run by a group that has created several very successful and competitive elementary schools including Roland Park Elementary and Hampstead Hill Academy among others, both schools provide a fabulous education.

These things are just a start, but I think a part of the problem is that many economically well off Baltimore residents don't even know what's going on in their own backyards. For instance, some of my neighbors do not even know what school they are zoned for, yet send their kids to private school because of their belief that all Baltimore schools are bad. I know there are bad schools in the system, I happen to volunteer at one. But to say that the city is not trying and all schools glorify mediocrity is simply not true.