Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Yes, Baby Boomers Are Moving Back to Cities. No, Not All of Them.

As soon as some consensus emerges about a demographic trend pointing to positive signs for cities, you can count on leading suburban crusader Joel Kotkin to say the experts have it wrong. Kotkin would like you to believe that he's the one true voice in demographic trends, and in his view, it's always the suburbs that come out on top.

Kotkin's latest assures us that, contrary to what we might have seen or heard, baby boomers are not moving back to cities and, indeed, love the suburbs as they never have before.

But Kotkin is railing against a straw man, says Richard Layman at Network blog Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space:

I think he mis-states what pro-city people are saying about the trend and the velocity of people moving back to the city. People of all ages, including the aged, are moving back to the city. But it's about percentages and trends.

In short, the millions of people who moved to the suburbs from the 1950s to the 1970s who are now 40 to 60 years older, are not moving back to the city at the same rate they left the city -- which is a good thing for those of us in the city.

But enough people are moving to the city so that it's noticeable -- and undeniable -- and this has been going on for more than 10 years -- I remember being first exposed to the concept at a conference in 2003, and that person (the director of the Responsible Hospitality Institute) had been on the circuit making the same point for a few years at that time.

And yes, suburbs are screwed because they have to build an infrastructure to support people who can no longer be independent, whereas in the city that kind of infrastructure already exists or can be adapted for such use in a relatively economically efficient manner.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Bike Portland writes that the city's popularity is threatening to price people out of bikeable communities. Better Institutions ponders the fairest and best affordable housing strategies for increasingly attractive cities. And Reno Rambler points out that it's not terribly productive for cyclists to stereotype other cyclists.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Monday’s Headlines Go to War

The conflict with Iran is set to send oil and gas prices skyrocketing. But there are alternatives.

June 23, 2025

Are Tesla’s First Robotaxis Safe For U.S. Roads?

Safety advocates warn that Tesla is failing informal safety tests — even as their taxis take to Austin, Texas roads.

June 23, 2025

The Sound and the Fury of Friday’s Headlines

The tales of internal combustion engines may be told by an idiot, but an EV's silence signifies nothing.

June 20, 2025

Friday Video: Public Art That Saves Pedestrian Lives

What's better than an intersection designed for walking safety? A beautiful intersection designed for walking safety.

June 20, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Small Scale Manufacturing in Cities

It's clean, It's quiet, and it's really cool to walk by and see things being made.

June 20, 2025

As ICE Continues Assault on Vulnerable Workers, Groups Launch Fundraiser to Assist Street Vendors

Empty streets and fears of being disappeared off street corners are hurting vendors' ability to stay afloat.

June 19, 2025
See all posts