Selling Suburbia

 

    Suburbia has gotten more expensive overtime with services being stretched  thin with un sustainable growth patterns. So, while selling the land to developers to develop might get the city some one-time cash in the short-term to help move along some stalled work in the core areas, long-term the outcome will be the same as the property taxes won't cover the costs to service those areas. It isn’t sustainable. Our services are being stretched to the brink. Growth of our cities in any form should be sustainable, and some are starting to suggest that our leaders look at capping sprawl on a population per capita basis. The reasoning is that If the city can only expand outward at fixed population densities; our cities can begin controlling the costs of public services better because we would inherently tie a certain amount of growth to a known fixed revenue.

    What could also be said is that it  isn't economically viable to build new homes in the suburbs. However I think most Americans prefer their suburban homes and will opt for the less costly house further out than the more expensive infill projects closer to the CBD.  To test theory, it would be that more people will choose the the safer route that doesn’t prompt much change. Lets think of a pair of dad shoes as pre-1960s suburbia which was primarily residential, where land-use was segregated with almost all housing and no-mixed use with industry or commerce. And lest compare that to a pair of Jordans with the idea that the new suburbia of today where as even though homes may appear less costly, services are being stretched thin and its becoming expensive to live in suburbia is so many ways. So what was once a pair of New Balances are now a pair of Jordans due to urban sprawl. So with that being said are you team dad shoes? Where as YOU believe that a cap should be placed on population per capita basis so that cities can expand outward at fixed population densities in order to better control the cost of public services. Or are you team Jordans? Where you would choose to live in the newer classier suburban divisions that land developers have developed. Keeping in mind that yes, in the short-term the city may earn some of one-time cash due to these developments, but in the long-term the property taxes won’t be enough to cover the cost of services to the area.