Kotkin Takes Aim at Urbanists

Naming Richard Florida, Carol Coletta and ULI as pro-urban forces, Joel Kotkin accuses them of having "wishful thinking" in regards to the back-to-the-city movement. Kotkin says people want single-family homes, not condos.

1 minute read

July 6, 2010, 10:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

Kotkin says that polling data shows that the majority of people would prefer to live in the suburbs over the city:

"Behind the condo bust is a simple error: people's stated preferences. Virtually every survey of opinion, including a 2004 poll co-sponsored by Smart Growth America, a group dedicated to promoting urban density, found that roughly 13% of Americans prefer to live in an urban environment while 33% prefer suburbs, and another 18% like exurbs. These patterns have been fairly consistent over the last several decades."

FULL STORY: The Myth of the Back-to-the-City Migration

Monday, July 5, 2010 in The Wall St. Journal

Housing United States Condos Joel Kotkin

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