Choosing the Unwalkable Suburbs, or Settling for Them?
Most of Eugene's housing is located unwalkable neighborhoods of single-family homes. While Millennials have shown a preference overall for urban, walkable lifestyles, recent reports show them moving to suburban neighborhoods once they start families. However, is that because they actually feel that unwalkable neighborhoods are better, or because they have no other choice if they are going to find a home large enough for kids? City Lab discusses if there is actually a preference for unwalkable neighborhoods, or if there just aren't enough other options.
“Do America’s working young couples—slightly grayer versions of the young adults who eschewed buying cars and flocked to walkable neighborhoods in the wake of the recession—actually want to raise their kids in communities that require them to drive everywhere? That’s less clear. Young families are settling in the suburbs for sure, but the housing stock they have to choose from often forces the choice: it’s either take fewer bedrooms, or live a lot farther from anything resembling a downtown.”