City vs. Suburbs: A False Debate

Christopher Leinberger, author of The Option of Urbanism, takes on Joel Kotkin's latest dustup on the "war between the city and the suburbs." Leinberger argues that the data Kotkin's using is dated and doesn't reflect reality.

1 minute read

July 13, 2010, 2:00 PM PDT

By Tim Halbur

Leinberger notes that he and Kotkin share a lot of beliefs: "Surprisingly, there is a convergence between his view of the next generation of real estate and infrastructure development and mine..."

The problem, says Leinberger is in poor data: "Our metropolitan data sets are compiled according to 'central city' and 'suburbs' classifications and have been for decades, providing longitudinal data particularly prized by researchers. Unfortunately, the concept of dividing the world into city versus suburbs is no longer so relevant."

FULL STORY: Walking — Not Just for Cities Anymore

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 in Brookings blog

Community / Economic Development Land Use United States Suburbs Cities Christopher Leinberger Joel Kotkin View More

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.