The Shape of Society
Archived article from Nov 5, 1999
By Douglas Frank
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There continue to be 3,000- to 5,000-square-foot single-family houses being built all over the United States that were approved years ago. But a significant number of people want to walk out at lunch and have the character and ambience and proximity to things that they do not get out there in those office parks. And they're going to be willing to pay for that.
In terms of market demands, older buildings with elevators will become very hot commodities, and more and more people will be looking to live and work in the same unit. There is no doubt in my mind that we will see major increases in the populations of our large cities. The more we make cities accessible, safe and livable, the more people will want to live in them.
The speedy economy
James W. Hughes, professor of urban planning and policy development and dean, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
Our economic and demographic stars are coming into full alignment, largely as the result of two major phenomena.
First, the United States and New Jersey have made the full transition from the industrial era to the information-age economy. The underlying forces have been globalization, deregulation and the rise to domi-nance of information technology. This has heralded a new era of very strong, inflation-free economic growth. Information flowing through fiber-optic cables has redefined the way we do business. With this speed-of-light economy, everything has become much more cost-effective and cost-efficient.
Second, demographically this is a unique era in our history. We have long been forecasting the demographics of affluence for this trans-millennial period. Never before in history have we had such a large share of the population in their peak-income years. This is a function of the baby boom occurring between 1946 and 1964. Today, one out of three Americans is a baby boomer maturing into peak productivity as well as consumption.
So both economic and demographic indicators are pointing to a healthy, growing economy for well into the next century.
Living in the suburbs
Richard Harris, faculty director, Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs in Camden
In the 21st century, the long-developing phenomenon of suburban sprawl will become a focal point of policy debate on the national agenda. The rapid and accelerating emergence of suburban living patterns raises a host of interrelated policy issues, including: land use, environmental quality, transportation, the balance of electoral power and educational equity. Policy-makers are finally beginning to relate these issues directly to the growth of suburbia and address them as part of a long-advocated regional approach to development. This approach will percolate up to national policy-making and politics from the state and local level.
Crafting regional development policies will require creative initiatives in the areas of governance and leadership. Especially where a region is not anchored by a major city that can serve as a leading development engine, numerous municipal and county jurisdictions, each pursuing its own agenda, may impede regional cooperation. Moreover, long-established commitments to home rule make it unlikely that significant governmental consolidations will be politically feasible. Under such circumstances, policy-makers will have to explore the possibilities of creating new strategic partnerships that pull together key regional actors from government, business and nonprofit sectors.
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