Interesting article on suburban population patterns (Pittsburgh, Denver: neighborhoods, housing, suburbs)

[BrianTH]

Pittsburgh doesn't always track these trends, but it is still worth thinking about:

Suburban growth focused on inner and outer communities - USATODAY.com

Basically, in the last decade we have recently seen the most suburban growth in the inner ring (including a lot of old streetcar suburbs, where walkability and public transit tend to be better) and the outer edge (where developable land is cheap). But as the article also points out, the outer edge development came to a screeching halt with the bursting of the housing bubble and recession, and it is a bit unknown whether and to what extent that growth will continue.

Pittsburgh, of course, didn't have a housing bubble to burst, and I think edge development here will continue (although it may take a different form in some cases, with more small-town-type developments). But I also think it is a good bet that along with some City neighborhoods, some of the more walkable/transit-oriented inner suburbs could benefit from these trends.

[Katarina Witt]

Just finished reading this article, and, like so many others of its kind, it has a glaring error regarding something I know a lot about, that makes me wonder about the rest of it.

•Mature suburbs. The next ring out from inner suburbs, these communities began their growth in the 1970s and 1980s and are filling out: Jefferson County in the Denver metropolitan area or Chicago's DuPage.

Actually, both Jefferson County Colorado and Du Page County Illinios have some old suburbs. In the case of Jeffco, it has a contiguous boundary with Denver, and contains many "inner-ring" suburbs. Du Page isn't contiguous, but has been suburbanized for many years.