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According to a recent article from Bankrate.com, increasing numbers of Americans are moving downtown and to areas described as "New Urbanist". There are a few key reasons offered for this growing trend:
Transportation will continue to be a huge issue in driving the growth of urban villages, Bernstein says. Many suburban households don't fully factor in transportation expenses in their family budgets and quickly land in the red after discovering they need several cars to shuttle family members, he says.
Further shifts in the average age and make-up of the population are also bound to make such mixed-use enclaves more popular, Burden says. "In just a few years, 30 percent of the population is going to be over age 65, and they are going to want to be closer to dining, services and medical facilities," he says.
Dozens of cities are responding to calls for smart-growth neighborhoods and are putting more urban villages and green preservation districts on the drawing board. Plus, they're tweaking the formula using industry-best practices to create the types of self-contained communities that dominated American life prior to World War II.
"America is moving back downtown," Burden says.
While this kind of living might not define simple living for everyone, it is certainly easy to see why many people would find downtown living and "New Urbanist" living preferable.
For more info: Read more about city living, country living, homesteading and simple living.
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