Wednesday, January 4, 2017

No, Millenials don't want high-density development

For years, we've been told by developers and their politicians that Millenials are different than prior generations: that they will want high-density urban living rather than the traditional American suburban lifestyle.

The data say otherwise. Wall Street Journal:
Big cities may be getting all the attention, but the suburbs are holding their own in the battle for population and young earners.

That is the thrust of a study of population trends and housing set to be released Monday by the Urban Land Institute’s Terwilliger Center for Housing, a nonprofit real-estate research group.

Property developers and urban-policy experts have trumpeted the influx of young, affluent professionals into big central cities in recent years. The shift has transformed downtown areas, sparking a historic boom in luxury-apartment construction and retail development.

[...]

But research shows that suburbs are continuing to outstrip downtowns in overall population growth, diversity and even younger residents.

The suburban areas surrounding the 50 largest metropolitan areas make up 79% of the population of those areas but accounted for 91% of population growth over the past 15 years, according to the study. What’s more, three-quarters of people age 25 to 34 in these metro areas live in suburbs.
They're starting families later than earlier generations due to a number of factors including the Great Recession, student debt, and changing priorities. But once they settle down and have a family, they want the same thing prior generations did: a nice house in a family-friendly neighborhood with good schools, and a yard with space for the kids and a dog to run around.

23 comments:

  1. Millenials live with their parents or room with others to keep costs down. Those that marry move out of California to raise their children. A four bedroom, 3 bath home in ElPaso sells for about $240K. Same home in Encinitas...$1+M easy. $800,000K buys a lot of A/C.....

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    Replies
    1. El Paso is a hellhole. More people moving there just makes it a larger and denser hellhole.

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    2. @4:44 - no, Juarez is a hellhole. El Paso is a paradise in comparison.

      San Diego and El Paso are both huge military towns - the political mindset is very similar.

      OK, the absence of water, waves, awesome weather is an issue but one should not deny the similarities.

      - The Scorpion

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    3. San Diego and El Paso are similar?

      That's a stretch, Sand Feeder.

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  2. My fellow citizens, we now have someone that will defend this community with Bruce Elhers applying for the empty council seat.

    We can hope the current council will see the wisdom and appoint him form the two year term.

    Considering the choices, there is no one more committed to preserving what we all love about living here.

    We will get an acceptable housing element update passed with Bruce in our corner.

    Council has to know it is time to do the right thing. They now have the chance to show us that the trust we have put in their hands with our votes means something.

    Bruce Elhers for council, now.

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    Replies
    1. Bruce Elhers is a complete IDIOT! He ran for council before and got killed - no one wants this MORON!!!

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    2. Strong support for Bruce Ehlers throughout the five communities that make up Encinitas. Go Bruce!

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    3. Nope, 6:03, you have it backwards. You're the idiot moron. Bruce is a good man. He ably led the Measure T opposition and got that horribly bad plan defeated at the polls.

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    4. Picking a new council member based on one-single issue is narrow minded and myopic. Bruce may be the guy, but labeling him as such will make him a one-hit wonder.

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  3. Some of us knew from the beginning that the clueless politicians' mantra of millennials categorically wanting to live in cramped urban areas, not own cars and ride their bikes everywhere was total bullshit.

    The ruse was invented so those manipulative politicians could impose their crazy bike-centric agenda on everybody else.

    Massive numbers of Encinitans have switched from cars to bikes because we have bike lanes and sharrows, right?

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    1. planning for safe roads doesn't mean fat asses like you need to get out of your car if you don't want to. There is plenty of room in the right-of-way for all users.

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    2. Sure, 7:41, plenty of room in the right-of-way for all users.

      So how many Encinitans have abandoned their cars and used bikes for transportation instead?

      And how many miles per week do you ride your bike for transportation?

      Still own a car? If so, what's your annual mileage?

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    3. Dont know. Do you?
      about 2 miles.
      Yes. about 20k.

      So whats your point?

      Does this make you more intelligent?

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    4. 9:28, your facts make you an ignorant hypocrite.

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    5. Not in my opinion. While I don't bicycle nearly as much as I drive, I still support a balanced roadway so other users can have a safe roadway to travel. Plus implimenting complete streets improves the safety and performance of the roadways for vehicles as well. Less delays for all.

      Some people have shallow minds and can't grasp anything other than present conditions. Therefore, there will always be a small percentage of the population that resist change, even positive change, at all costs.

      - Just the facts.

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    6. I agree with 6:10.

      What a lame argument that the measure of success is people who get rid of a car entirely. No one ever claimed that was a goal for complete
      streets.

      The goal is to make it safer for SOME people to take SOME of their shorter trips by bike or on foot. By that measure, they work very well.

      I almost never take the car to go surfing, because parking is a pain. I like to ride my bike to lunch, or to the farmers market. I walk the dog, sometimes 4-5 miles.

      But I still drive most other places.

      Still, having safe streets takes my car off the road for SOME trips, and that means less traffic for everybody else.

      However, I won't let my kids ride bikes to school, because there is one road that just isn't designed to be safe for them to do so, so we still drive two kids, both ways--4 trips everyday. Improve that road and we'll take those 4 trips off the road, as will others.

      What kind of simpleton can't handle the complexity of using a car sometimes, but not always?

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    7. Great numbers of people "getting out of their cars" hasn't happened in Encinitas despite the policies and infrastructure. And it won't.

      What makes the movement silly is that the very people who scold others to "get out of their cars" don't do that themselves.

      Suburbia is not conducive to widespread, heavy use of bikes and walking for transportation. Those modes are impractical. Distance and whatever has to be carried make cars the practical mode.

      A few people making short trips by bike or foot doesn't make a bit of difference on traffic and GHG emissions.

      Pursuing other means of achieving those ends is far more rational and effective.

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    8. "Complete Streets" shouldn't mean deleting lanes for cars, so that mostly recreational bicycle riders can ride several abreast, in squadrons, violating the single file, except when passing law.

      Deleting lanes, through roundabouts, without accurate studies of existing roundabouts in this city, and without putting the changes through the Traffic and Safety Commission, is foolhardy.

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    9. 4:35 "Complete Streets" is code words for builders getting away with inadequate parking in exchange for for taxable units.
      Cabezon

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    10. I know that too many businesses along 101 have their employees park on adjacent residential streets, where there is already limited off-street parking. It's bad enough when clients and customers of the business park in front of residences, but at least they generally don't park there all day. When certain locations have additional businesses go in, or businesses of a different nature, Council should consider the available parking, and not just grandfather in inadequate parking that pre-existed the new business enterprise.

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  4. The brake dust seasoning at Wholefoods is to die for, they use it at the beer place too. You can even get your veggies pre-marinaded in it. Got some Cardiff Crack sitting by the tracks now, don't take it, I'm making a dry rub.

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  5. 10:57 am. Not a happy new year to Thomas Roger Ogden. Hater go away. Time to take the trash out once again from this valuable local resource.

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  6. The Voice of San Diego writer ? Maya was on the KPBS Roundtable show this weekend. How she keeps her job reflects on VOSD and how compromised by developer interests this hack of publication has become.

    Absolutely shameful performance by the editors.

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