The New Generational Shift: Suburban Flight

Changes in lifestyles, economic conditions, and demographics are leading to a reversal in urban flight, The Wall Street Journal reports. Four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline and the subprime crisis have driven many to cities from suburbs, where commutes are longer and houses have lost the most value. Boomers are simplifying their lives with urban condos, while millennials seek to abandon their cul-de-sac upbringings. 

Many are settling around light rail lines, challenging cities to improve public transit service. Transportation is the biggest household expense after housing, so the shift makes sense for 20-somethings and 60-somethings alike. "They are at a stage where they both want the same thing," said a housing consultant. "You've got a recipe for reurbanization on a dramatic scale." (More suburban sprawl stories.)